World Business Report TikTok secures US future
Jan 23, 2026
Zoe Kleinman, technology editor expert on tech policy and business, explains the TikTok-ByteDance deal and its US implications. She breaks down the new US ownership and board changes. She outlines how the algorithm will be retrained on American data and what that could mean for user experience. She also touches on broader regulatory and privacy stakes.
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US-Only Algorithm Could Domesticise TikTok
- TikTok's US operation will be run by a new US-based ownership group and trained only on American user data.
- Zoe Kleinman warns this could reduce global trends and make feeds more domestic-focused.
New Ownership Mix Keeps ByteDance Stake
- ByteDance will retain just under 20% while Oracle, Silver Lake and others take majority US ownership.
- Zoe Kleinman notes an American board will run TikTok to satisfy US security concerns.
Algorithm Changes May Slow Content Churn
- Immediate user experience likely stays similar, but the algorithm may lose global content signals.
- That could slow content churn and reduce cross-border trends for US users.