Chinese-owned TikTok is not in talks to sell its U.S. business to rival short-video-sharing app Triller, the company told CNBC on Monday.
“We can confirm that we are not and will not be in talks with them. Still, we are flattered by how much they admire TikTok,” said a spokesperson for TikTok.
Still, Bobby Sarnevesht, Triller’s chief executive, maintained the submission of the offer.
“We have proof that it is reported to the chairman (Zhang Yiming). And also, people very high up at ByteDance, and we have correspondence going on.”
The Selling of TikTok is Still Being a Hot Topic
ByteDance pointed out CNBC’s tweet on the matter to TikTok. The company has also denied Reuters knowledge of the bid. TikTok executives warned to be aware of receiving such an offer. And also, said no one from the Chinese-owned short-video-sharing app has talked to Triller on this subject.
TikTok, which has about 100 million monthly active users in the United States, is being forced to sell its U.S. business by the Trump administration, which says the app’s current ties to China make it a national security threat.
In an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Aug. 6, the U.S. alleged China may potentially have access to “Americans’ personal and proprietary information” due to the data collected by TikTok.
TikTok, for its part, has repeatedly refuted such allegations and claims that its U.S. user data were maintained in the country itself with a backup in Singapore. Then, its data centers are based outside of China, suggesting that the information was not subject to Chinese law.
Triller’s supposed bid of $20 billion puts it at a similar level. But, Centricus on its website says it oversees $27 billion of assets. Therefore, it wasn’t immediately clear how the deal could be funded.
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