TikTok is no longer under Chinese control in the United States: the sale of the local business has been completed, and the app now operates within a new company called TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, with ByteDance's stake reduced to a 19.9% ??minority share. In practice, this means that the “US TikTok” It remains in the hands of a structure largely controlled by non-Chinese investors, precisely to comply with the "divest-or-ban" scheme that had been pressuring the company for years.

The sale of TikTok in the US is now official

After a very long saga (threats of blocking, national security lobbying debates, and a lot of lobbying), TikTok confirmed that the deal was finalized and that its US operations now operate within the new entity TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC. The key fact: ByteDance, the Chinese parent company, retains only 19.9% ????of the joint venture, which leaves it below the control threshold and in line with the legal framework that requires divestment to avoid a "ban." The other major sign of a "change of command" lies in the design of the new security and governance model: the joint venture assumes direct responsibility for critical data, applications, and policies within the TikTok ecosystem in the US. In other words, it's no longer just about "trust us" promises, but a corporate redesign where ownership and control are formally redistributed. Also important: the agreement is not limited solely to TikTok as the main app; the press release about the transaction mentions that these protections and "assurances" would extend to related services and apps such as CapCut and Lemon8, among others. If you use that combination (TikTok for reach and CapCut for editing), this is relevant because the regulatory and technical umbrella aims to cover more than just the video feed.

Who are the majority partners?

The new TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC is mostly owned by investors, while the remaining 80.1% (excluding ByteDance's 19.9%) is divided among a consortium that includes three managing investors. These key partners are Silver Lake, Oracle, and MGX.and each holds a 15% stake.

In addition to these three heavyweights,the group includes several “smaller” investors (small only in percentage terms, because several are giants in terms of money and influence). Among those mentioned are a family investment firm linked to Michael Dell (the Dell Family), as well as other investment vehicles associated with figures and institutions in the tech/finance world, such as General Atlantic (via an affiliate) and NJJ Capital, among others.

The interesting thing here to understand “who's in charge” is not just the percentage of each stake, but the approach, since Oracle is not entering as a decorative partner, but as a key piece of the operating and security model, with a direct role in the infrastructure where data is protected and critical components are verified. And MGX (from Abu Dhabi) appears as the financial partner that completes the triangle alongside Oracle and Silver Lake to give muscle and credibility to the structure outside of ByteDance.

What will change for users and for the algorithm?

On paper, what they most want to "protect" (and what matters most to Washington) is the combination: data + software + algorithm + moderation. The joint venture proposes that the recommendation algorithm will work with data from US users, and that this information will be protected within Oracle's cloud environment in the United States.

In parallel, the mentions "software assurance": protocols to protect apps used in the US and a continuous code review/validation process, with Oracle as a "Trusted Security Partner."

This agreement means it will function less like a black box, with more ongoing auditing and controls over what runs on the US version. And yes, there's also the most sensitive area (and the one that always sparks debate): the trust and safety of the content, because the joint venture says it will have authority for trust and safety decisions and moderation within the US ecosystem. It doesn't mean TikTok will become "a completely different social network" overnight, but it does mark an important change: the center of gravity of control (corporate and operational) is shifting away from ByteDance in the US market. But the focus is on the approach, as Oracle isn't entering as a decorative partner, but as a key piece of the operating and security model, with a direct role in the infrastructure where data is protected and critical components are verified. And MGX (from Abu Dhabi) appears as the financial partner that completes the triangle alongside Oracle and Silver Lake to give strength and credibility to the structure outside of ByteDance.

What will change for users and for the algorithm?

On paper, what they most want to "protect" (and what matters most to Washington) is the combination: data + software + algorithm + moderation.The joint venture proposes that the recommendation algorithm will work with data from US users, and that this information will be protected within Oracle's cloud environment in the United States.

In parallel, the agreement mentions "software assurance": protocols to protect the apps used in the US and a continuous code review/validation process, with Oracle as a "Trusted Security Partner". This means it will function less like a black box, with more auditing and ongoing controls over what runs on the US version. And yes, there's also the most sensitive area (and the one that always sparks debate): the trust and safety of the content, because the joint venture says it will have authority for trust and safety decisions and moderation within the US ecosystem. It doesn't mean TikTok will become "a completely different social network" overnight, but it does mark an important change: the center of gravity of control (corporate and operational) is shifting away from ByteDance in the US market. But the focus is on the approach, as Oracle isn't entering as a decorative partner, but as a key piece of the operating and security model, with a direct role in the infrastructure where data is protected and critical components are verified. And MGX (from Abu Dhabi) appears as the financial partner that completes the triangle alongside Oracle and Silver Lake to give strength and credibility to the structure outside of ByteDance.

What will change for users and for the algorithm?

On paper, what they most want to "protect" (and what matters most to Washington) is the combination: data + software + algorithm + moderation. The joint venture proposes that the recommendation algorithm will work with data from US users, and that this information will be protected within Oracle's cloud environment in the United States.

In parallel, the agreement mentions "software assurance": protocols to protect the apps used in the US and a continuous code review/validation process, with Oracle as a "Trusted Security Partner". This means it will function less like a black box, with more auditing and ongoing controls over what runs on the US version. And yes, there's also the most sensitive area (and the one that always sparks debate): the trust and safety of the content, because the joint venture says it will have authority for trust and safety decisions and moderation within the US ecosystem. It doesn't mean TikTok will become "a completely different social network" overnight, but it does mark an important change: the center of gravity of control (corporate and operational) is shifting away from ByteDance in the US market. There's also the most sensitive area (and the one that always sparks debate): the trust and safety of the content,because the joint venture says it will have authority for trust and safety decisions and moderation within the ecosystem in the US. This doesn't mean TikTok will become "a completely different social network" overnight, but it does mark an important change: the center of gravity of control (corporate and operational) is shifting away from ByteDance in the US market. There's also the most sensitive area (and the one that always sparks debate): the trust and safety of the content, because the joint venture says it will have authority for trust and safety decisions and moderation within the ecosystem in the US. This doesn't mean TikTok will become "a completely different social network" overnight, but it does mark an important change: the center of gravity of control (corporate and operational) is shifting away from ByteDance in the US market.