TikTok has dodged a ban and secured its long-term future in the US by announcing a deal on Friday that will see a joint venture take over US operations of the popular social video app. The deal marks the conclusion of a protracted battle over the app's continued presence in the US, which dates back to President Trump's first term in office.
TikTok in the US will now be run by TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, which was established by a White House executive order issued in September 2025. At its helm will be CEO Adam Presser, previously the head of operations, who previously led TikTok's efforts to ensure that the data of the app's US users was kept secure. Shou Chew, the CEO of TikTok's international operations, will serve on the joint venture's board of directors.
"TikTok USDS Joint Venture's mandate is to secure US user data, apps and the algorithm through comprehensive data privacy and cybersecurity measures," the company said in a press release. "It will safeguard the US content ecosystem through robust trust and safety policies and content moderation while ensuring continuous accountability through transparency reporting and third-party certifications."
The joint venture has three managing investors -- Silver Lake, Oracle and MGX -- which each hold a 15% stake. Oracle will also be responsible for protection of US user data and of the freshly retrained algorithm, which will be specific to the US version of the app.
Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden both raised concerns over a potential national security threat posed by TikTok, due to its Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance, which will retain a 19.9% stake in the new joint venture. During both of his presidential terms, Trump has attempted to ban TikTok, but also delayed the ban's implementation.
The deal announced on Friday arrived moments before the deadline set by the White House for TikTok to comply its September executive order. In a post on his social site Truth Social, Trump said he was "so happy to have helped in saving TikTok."
"I only hope that long into the future I will be remembered by those who use and love TikTok," said Trump. He also thanked China's President Xi for working with the US and approving the deal. "He could have gone the other way, but didn't, and is appreciated for his decision," he said.
How TikTok might change for you
TikTok has more than 200 million users in the US, and if you're one of them, the deal announced on Friday will allow you to continue using the app without the ongoing fear of it being banned.
It also won't see you cut off from creators in China, or the rest of the world. People in the US will still be able to watch videos from Europe, such as last year's viral "nothing beats a Jet2 holiday" trend. TikTok users outside of the US will still be able to follow their favorite American creators.
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