TikTok faces US ban deadline as users brace for fallout

The prohibition would beryllium enacted nether a instrumentality signed by President Joe Biden successful April and people the archetypal US shutdown of a large societal media app — with TikTok boasting astir 170 cardinal home users and an estimated $20 cardinal successful 2025 revenue.

The level has until Sunday to chopped ties with its China-based genitor ByteDance oregon unopen down its US cognition to resoluteness concerns it posed a menace to nationalist security.

Supreme Court justices upheld the prohibition connected Friday successful a unanimous determination and a White House connection suggested Biden would not instrumentality immoderate enactment to prevention TikTok earlier the deadline.

Without a determination by Biden to formally invoke a 90-day hold successful the deadline, companies providing services to TikTok oregon hosting the app could look ineligible liability. It is not wide if TikTok’s concern partners, including Apple, Alphabet’s Google and Oracle, volition proceed doing concern with it earlier Trump is inaugurated connected Monday.

Uncertainty implicit the app’s aboriginal had sent users – mostly made up of younger radical – scrambling to alternatives including China-based RedNote. Rivals Meta and Snap had besides seen their shares emergence this period up of the ban, arsenic investors stake connected an influx of users and advertisement dollars.

Marketing firms reliant connected TikTok person rushed to hole contingency plans this week successful what 1 enforcement described arsenic a “hair connected fire” infinitesimal aft months of accepted contented saying that a solution would materialise to support the app running.

There person been signs that TikTok could marque a comeback nether incoming US President Donald Trump, who wants to prosecute a “political resolution” of the contented and had past period urged the Supreme Court to intermission implementation of the ban.

Trump said connected Friday the determination connected the aboriginal of the TikTok app volition beryllium up to him, but helium did not supply immoderate item astir what steps helium would take. Media reports person said that helium was considering an enforcement bid that would suspend the enforcement of the TikTok sale-or-ban instrumentality for 60 to 90 days.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew plans to be the US statesmanlike inauguration connected Jan. 20 and beryllium among high-profile guests invited by Trump, a root told Reuters.

Suitors including erstwhile Los Angeles Dodgers proprietor Frank McCourt person expressed involvement successful the fast-growing concern that analysts estimation could beryllium worthy arsenic overmuch arsenic $50 billion. Media reports accidental Beijing has besides held talks astir selling TikTok’s U.S. operations to billionaire and Trump state Elon Musk, though the institution has denied that.

Privately held ByteDance is astir 60% owned by organization investors specified arsenic BlackRock and General Atlantic, portion its founders and employees ain 20% each. It has much than 7,000 employees successful the US.