Trump extends TikTok sale/shutdown deadline by another 75 days
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ByteDance has more time to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations, allowing U.S. brands and businesses to continue marketing on the platform.
President Trump extended the deadline for ByteDance to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations by 75 days, pushing the cutoff date to mid-June and preventing an immediate shutdown.
This is the second extension Trump has given to China-based ByteDance to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations, temporarily averting a potential ban of the popular app.
Driving the news. the TikTok deal “requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed,” Trump announced on Truth Social. This extends ByteDance’s timeline just before the April 5 deadline established under legislation signed by former President Biden.
- Multiple potential buyers have emerged, including Oracle, AppLovin, Amazon, and consortiums involving Andreessen Horowitz, Blackstone, and other investment firms.
- Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian is backing Frank McCourt’s Project Liberty consortium, while AI search startup Perplexity has proposed merging with TikTok’s U.S. operations.
Why we care. TikTok remains a crucial platform for reaching younger audiences, and its uncertain future could impact long-term strategies for brands and businesses. The extended deadline provides temporary stability, allowing brands to continue leveraging TikTok’s vast user base for marketing campaigns. However, potential ownership changes and geopolitical tensions could lead to new regulations or restrictions that may affect advertising costs, targeting capabilities, and content moderation policies.
Between the lines. Trump explicitly connected the TikTok negotiation to his broader trade strategy with China, writing: “This proves that Tariffs are the most powerful Economic tool, and very important to our National Security!”
Flashback. When Trump took office in January, he signed an executive order giving ByteDance an initial 75-day extension and instructed the attorney general not to enforce the ban.
What Trump is saying. “We hope to continue working in Good Faith with China, who I understand are not very happy about our Reciprocal Tariffs. We do not want TikTok to ‘go dark.’”
What’s next. Any deal would still require approval from the Chinese government – a potentially significant hurdle despite the additional time granted by the extension.
Bottom line. The fate of TikTok in the U.S. remains uncertain, with the app continuing to operate while negotiations for American ownership proceed under the shadow of escalating U.S.-China trade tensions.
About the author
Anu Adegbola has been Paid Media Editor of Search Engine Land since 2024. She covers paid search, paid social, retail media, video and more.
In 2008, Anu’s career started with delivering digital marketing campaigns (mostly but not exclusively Paid Search) by building strategies, maximising ROI, automating repetitive processes and bringing efficiency from every part of marketing departments through inspiring leadership both on agency, client and marketing tech side.
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