The longest and most politically sensitive game of the last digital decade is over. TikTok USA is born and the platform remains in the United States.: American activities are officially transferred to a new independent company, American majority, shelving the risk of a ban and putting an end to a legal and geopolitical battle that has spanned two administrations and at least three years of tensions between Washington and Beijing.
The American solution to the ban risk
The new structure is called TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC and is the direct result of the “divest-or-ban” legislation passed under the presidency of Joe Biden, which imposed on ByteDance, the Chinese company that controls the popular social network, to give up control of US operations or exit the market. ByteDance remains a shareholder, but drops to 19,9%, below the maximum threshold allowed, while the '80,1 % switch to a consortium of American investorsSilver Lake, Oracle, and MGX each hold 15%, joined by other U.S. and international funds and family offices.
The joint venture was formally established in implementation of the executive order signed by Donald Trump on September 25, 2025, which defined the stakes of the operation and guaranteed “American” management of the US version of the platform. No economic value has been disclosed, nor have any plans for a separate app been announced. The core of the agreement is structural, not commercial.
Data and algorithm under US control
The most delicate and politically decisive point, it concerns the technological infrastructure. All US user data will be hosted in Oracle's secure cloud in the United States and managed directly by the new company, which will operate a comprehensive data privacy and cybersecurity program subject to independent audits and certifications. The scope of reference includes standards such as NIST, ISO 27001, and the requirements of the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency.
More the algorithm dossier is more sensitiveThe content recommendation system will be retrained, tested and updated using US user data only and will be protected in the same American cloud environment. Also the software code will be subject to checks Continuous and "software assurance" protocols, always with Oracle as the security partner. Essentially, not only the databases but also the engine that decides what appears in the feed comes under formal US supervision.
Governance, moderation and global continuity
The joint venture operates as independent entity, built on the foundation of the TikTok US Data Security organization. The board of directors is composed of seven members, with an American majority, with representatives from Silver Lake, Oracle, MGX and other large investors. operational guidance is entrusted to Adam Presser, appointed CEO, supported by Will Farrell as Chief Security Officer.
On the content front, the new company will have direct decision-making power on trust and safety policies and moderation, with transparency and accountability obligations. At the same time, the agreement preserves global interoperability This will allow American creators to continue to be visible internationally, and companies will be able to operate in foreign markets. Some business activities, such as advertising and e-commerce, will remain coordinated with the group's global entities.
The same technical and organizational protections will be extended also to other apps in the group intended for the US market, such as CapCut and Lemon8, expanding the scope of the operation beyond TikTok.
Trump celebrates: "Thank you, Xi."
The closing of the agreement immediately received the political seal of approval from the White House. The President of the United States, Donald Trump, celebrated the agreement with triumphal tones on his social Truth, openly claiming its paternity: “I'm so happy I helped save TikTok”, he wrote, stressing that the platform “will be now owned by a group of great American patriots and investors, the largest in the world, and it will be an important voice."
In the message, Trump linked the TikTok rescue also to the electoral success of 2024, arguing that the app, “along with other factors, was responsible for my excellent results among young voters”, and hoping to be “long remembered by those who use and love TikTok”. He also thanked his entourage, starting with Vice President JD Vance, for bringing the operation to a “very dramatic, final, and beautiful conclusion”.
Trump then wanted explicitly thank Chinese President Xi Jinping"I would also like to thank President Xi of China for working with us and ultimately approving the deal. He could have made a different choice, but he didn't." These words confirm that the TikTok operation wasn't just an industrial dossier, but the result of a direct political mediation between Washington and Beijing.
After years of delays, lawsuits and tug-of-war between Congress, the White House and China, the soap opera ends like thisTikTok remains in the United States, but under a different corporate banner. compromise that avoids the ban and redraws the balance of control, without completely erasing the political tensions that have accompanied the platform's global rise.
