TikTok Finalizes U.S. Joint Venture, Ceding Majority Control to Non‑Chinese Investors

Overview

• New entity TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC will run U.S. data and algorithm operations, preventing a statutory ban after years of political and legal battles.
• Outside investors hold about 80.1% while ByteDance retains roughly 19.9%, with Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX each taking 15% stakes.
• Oracle becomes security and cloud partner hosting U.S. data; the venture will license and retrain the recommendation algorithm and undergo third‑party audits.
• Adam Presser is named CEO and Will Farrell chief security officer of the U.S. venture, with board seats including Shou Chew and representatives from Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX.
• A White House official says Washington and Beijing approved the deal, as analysts question ByteDance’s continuing influence and cite a reported ~$14 billion U.S. valuation seen as low versus advertising revenue.