Microsoft in Talks for TikTok's U.S. Operations

President Donald Trump has confirmed that Microsoft is in talks to acquire TikTok's U.S. operations, marking the second time the tech giant has shown interest in the social media platform since 2020. This move follows a law requiring TikTok's parent company ByteDance to divest from the app due to national security concerns, or face a U.S. ban. Trump has extended the deadline for TikTok to find new ownership by 75 days, until April 4, and expressed an interest in a 'bidding war' for the app, which could potentially involve other companies like Oracle. Meanwhile, a proposal from Perplexity AI suggests the U.S. government could own up to 50% of a new entity that merges with TikTok's U.S. business. Despite the interest, representatives from Microsoft, TikTok, and ByteDance have not commented on the discussions. The situation mirrors similar negotiations from 2020, highlighting ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Chinese tech companies.