Squawk Pod TikTok Makes a Deal: Fmr. TikTok CEO & Signals from Beijing 12/19/25
Dec 19, 2025
Kevin Mayer, former CEO of TikTok and media executive, shares insights on the new U.S. joint venture involving Oracle and Silver Lake, emphasizing its importance for data safety. Eunice Yoon, CNBC's Beijing bureau chief, discusses China's regulatory nuances and state media's supportive signals regarding the deal. Ray Isle, the executive wine editor at Food & Wine, offers holiday wine recommendations while addressing the impact of tariffs and a shift towards nonalcoholic options, exploring the cyclical nature of the wine market.
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Deal Structure Meets U.S. Security Requirements
- TikTok and ByteDance signed a deal to form a U.S. joint venture managed by Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX with a majority U.S. board.
- Oracle will host U.S. user data and the algorithm will be retrained on U.S. data to address security concerns.
Fed Interview Process Broader Than Rate Obedience
- The White House is actively interviewing multiple Fed chair candidates across economic topics beyond just rate obedience.
- Steve Liesman signals the process aims to be substantive and not merely ceremonial.
Retraining, Not Replacing, The Algorithm
- Kevin Mayer believes the joint venture structure meets U.S. security thresholds with ByteDance below 20% ownership.
- He says retraining the algorithm on U.S. data and housing it on Oracle servers reduces security risk while keeping commercial ties to ByteDance.