Bloomberg Tech TikTok Says Its Reached a US-Majority Ownership Deal
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Dec 19, 2025 Kevin Mayer, co-CEO of Candle Media and former TikTok CEO, shares insights on TikTok's new U.S. majority ownership deal amid national security concerns. He discusses the operational structure involving Oracle and the importance of protecting U.S. user data. Mayer also examines how TikTok can maintain its algorithm effectiveness and discusses competition with Hollywood and other platforms in the short-form content space. He believes the deal could create a sustainable model for U.S. voices while navigating complex U.S.-China tech relations.
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New U.S. TikTok Structure Explained
- The proposed U.S. TikTok will be majority U.S.-controlled while ByteDance holds under 20% ownership.
- Oracle and other investors will secure U.S. data and governance to address national security concerns.
Algorithm Retained, Retrained On U.S. Data
- Kevin Mayer believes licensing and retraining ByteDance's algorithm on U.S. data can recreate a powerful recommendation feed.
- He expects a distinct U.S. instance trained on U.S. data to produce a robust, seamless experience.
Interoperability Is Crucial
- Mayer argues TikTok must remain globally interoperable to preserve content discovery value.
- A U.S.-only silo would hurt user experience and cultural exchange, he warns.