White House nears decision on TikTok's U.S. sale before April 5 deadline

The White House is convening a crucial meeting to discuss TikTok's future just days before a looming April 5 deadline for its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. operations or face a ban. This meeting includes top officials such as President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, among others. Several American investment firms, including Andreessen Horowitz and Blackstone, are exploring financing options for a potential deal that would shift TikTok’s ownership to non-Chinese investors, with Oracle likely to play a significant role in overseeing a new U.S. entity. An alternative proposal involves leasing TikTok's algorithm from ByteDance, which has sparked debate on whether this would sufficiently sever Chinese control. Trump has indicated strong interest in a successful deal, with various bidders, including tech giant Amazon, showing interest ahead of the deadline. As the situation evolves, the administration's focus remains on ensuring the safety of American users' data amidst rising national security concerns.