The world’s biggest software maker, Microsoft, is reportedly in talks with ByteDance, the Chinese owners of TikTok, over a possible acquisition of its US operation.
The offer by Microsoft seems to be an escalation of President Trump’s recent attacks on TikTok and other Chinese tech startups, Bloomberg reported.
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President Trump, in June, had raised security concerns about TikTok’s entry into the world’s largest economy.
A TikTok acquisition could make the software maker a major provider of enterprise software, more focused on consumer technology, which Microsoft has exited from in the past few years in business segments such as e-book markets, phone hardware, and fitness hardware.
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It should be noted that TikTok has been adjudged the world’s fastest-growing social media app.
The deal brings a rare opportunity for Microsoft to gain profit from the momentum of the fastest-growing social media app in America. TikTok valuation according to private sources is estimated to be worth between $20 billion to $40 billion, meaning just a few brands like Microsoft can afford to pay such premium TikTok commands.