Tag: Microsoft

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VentureBeat

Trump gives Microsoft 45 days to seal TikTok deal


(Reuters) — President Donald Trump only agreed to allow Microsoft to negotiate the acquisition of popular short-video app TikTok if it could secure a deal in 45 days, three people familiar with the matter said on Sunday.

The move represents an about-face for Trump and prompted the U.S. tech giant to declare its interest in the blockbuster social media deal that could further inflame U.S.-China relations. Trump said on Friday he was planning to ban TikTok amid concerns that its Chinese ownership represents a national security risk because of the personal data it handles. Read More

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TechCrunch

Microsoft pursuing TikTok purchase by September 15th, may invite U.S. investors to deal – TechCrunch


Microsoft has posted a statement today on its corporate blog that says it will continue discussions on a potential TikTok purchase in the U.S.. As a part of the statement, it says that it may invite other “American investors” to participate on a minority basis.

The company says that this is a result of conversations between CEO Satya Nadella and President Trump. That is, basically, the ‘news’ here. Previous reports and our own digging pointed to the situation being totally in the hands of the White House, with Microsoft willing to make the buy but having roadblocks in the form of Presidential sentiment. If Satya has engaged Trump directly then there could be light at the end of this possibility tunnel after all. Read More

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Mashable

Microsoft confirms it’s in talks to buy TikTok, and Trump is involved

Microsoft has confirmed reports it’s in talks to acquire TikTok, writing that the deal is currently in preliminary discussions. Oh, and the U.S. president is part of them too.

TikTok has been the subject of intense international scrutiny as of late, with various governments accusing the video sharing app of sharing users’ data with the Chinese government. President Donald Trump claimed he would ban TikTok just last week, and a report from stated he may even order China-based parent company ByteDance to sell the app. Read More

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Engadget

Microsoft says it’s aiming to close TikTok deal by September 15th


If Microsoft can successfully negotiate a deal with ByteDance, the company says it will add “world-class security, privacy, and digital safety protections” to the TikTok experience. And to be absolutely clear, there’s a chance these discussions may fall apart. That’s true for any high-profile acquisition, but this deal is particularly strange since it seems to be coming at the behest of a President who has talked of banning TikTok.

Still, Microsoft could add some stability to the mobile app in the US, where ByteDance has been criticized for having nebulous ties to the Chinese government. TikTok has vigorously pushed back against implications that it was under the thumb of China, and said that it would refuse any user data requests from the country. The acquisition could also be good news for Facebook, which is planning to release its own TikTok competitor soon. Read More

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The Verge

Microsoft says CEO Satya Nadella has talked to Trump about buying TikTok


In a blog post Sunday, Microsoft said it was “prepared to continue discussions to explore a purchase of TikTok in the United States,” following a conversation between its CEO Satya Nadella and President Trump. It’s the first time the company has confirmed reports it was in talks to acquire the video sharing platform.

“Microsoft fully appreciates the importance of addressing the President’s concerns. It is committed to acquiring TikTok subject to a complete security review and providing proper economic benefits to the United States, including the United States Treasury,” the blog post reads. It adds that the company expects to move “quickly to pursue discussions with TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, in a matter of weeks, and in any event completing these discussions no later than September 15, 2020.” Read More

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TechCrunch

ByteDance and Microsoft deal for TikTok to stay in the U.S. waits for White House ruling – TechCrunch


Update 8/1 1:30PM PT: The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the deal ByteDance and Microsoft were pitching as a way to keep TikTok running as a U.S. company here in the states is on hold. The reason given is that both parties are now a bit shaken by Trump’s statements late last night about not allowing such a deal to go through and being intent on a ban. They’re now ‘looking for clarity’ on the White House position on such a deal. We’re looking into it with Microsoft and ByteDance but for now we haven’t heard that anything material is different here — the deal was always contingent on tacit, if not explicit, approval from the administration. We will update if we hear more. Original story follows. Read More

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VentureBeat

ByteDance and Microsoft offer White House a deal to keep TikTok in the U.S.


(Reuters) — China’s ByteDance has agreed to divest the U.S. operations of TikTok completely in a bid to save a deal with the White House, after President Donald Trump said on Friday he had decided to ban the popular short-video app, two people familiar with the matter said on Saturday. U.S. officials have said TikTok under its Chinese parent poses a national risk because of the personal data it handles. ByteDance’s concession will test whether Trump’s threat to ban TikTok is a negotiating tactic or whether he is intent on cracking down on a social media app that has up to 80 million daily active users in the United States. Read More

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TechCrunch

A guide to the US antitrust case against Apple, Microsoft in talks to buy TikTok – TechCrunch


Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the TechCrunch series* that recaps the latest OS news, the applications they support and the money that flows through it all.

The app industry is as hot as ever, with a record 204 billion downloads and $120 billion in consumer spending in 2019. People are now spending three hours and 40 minutes per day using apps, rivaling TV. Apps aren’t just a way to pass idle hours — they’re a big business. In 2019, mobile-first companies had a combined $544 billion valuation, 6.5x higher than those without a mobile focus. Read More

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VentureBeat

ProBeat: Slowing AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud revenue growth is a good thing


COVID-19 means work, learning, and life in general are increasingly happening online. Shouldn’t that mean more cloud usage and thus more cloud revenue? Yes, and it does. But that doesn’t necessarily translate to more cloud revenue growth for the three tech giants. Microsoft reported its fiscal Q4 2020 earnings last week, while Amazon and Alphabet reported their respective Q2 2020 earnings yesterday. We thus now have a full quarter of results for the three biggest cloud providers during the coronavirus pandemic. Read More

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Wired

Trump May Soon Order TikTok’s Sale, as Microsoft Circles


Teens love TikTok, but the Trump administration fears it. Earlier this week, treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin confirmed that the social app was subject to a national security review into whether it could be a conduit for interference by China. Friday, Bloomberg reported that Trump will “sign an order” directing TikTok’s Chinese owner Bytedance to sell off the service. “We may be banning TikTok,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday, adding, “We are looking at a lot of alternatives.” Read More