ByteDance is working with U.S. regulators to resolve outstanding security concerns over its planned sale of a stake in music-video app TikTok, and the companies involved are bracing for the approval process to drag on past the November election, according to people familiar with the matter.
Oracle, which is leading the bid to buy a stake in TikTok, is also still hashing out the fine-print terms of the deal, which two weeks ago received an endorsement “in concept” from U.S. President Donald Trump but faces skepticism from others within his administration and from the Chinese government.
ByteDance is in discussions on a final proposal with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., or Cfius, the regulatory body that must clear any agreement. Several issues remain unresolved, including questions about data security, Chinese ownership in the new TikTok Global and a possible $5 billion education fund. Trump has said that if a deal isn’t done before Nov. 12, TikTok will be shut down in the U.S., but it’s possible that deadline could be changed if negotiations are still going on into next month, people familiar said.
The process is going slowly in part because of the volume of details that need to be ironed out, said some of the people, who asked not to be identified discussing the private negotiations. What’s more, the fate of TikTok Global has slipped lower on the list of priorities for the president, who’s seeking to win approval for a new Supreme Court justice and focused on his campaign for re-election, some of the people said. The process is now even more complicated after the president’s diagnosis with COVID-19, which was disclosed early Friday.