The Chinese government is unlikely to approve a sale that includes TikTok’s coveted algorithm.

The Chinese government is unlikely to approve a sale that includes TikTok’s coveted algorithm.Credit:AP

Several parties have expressed interest in buying the platform,but ByteDance has repeatedly said it does not plan to sell. Experts have also said the Chinese government would be unlikely to approve a sale that includes TikTok’s coveted algorithm.

How much is TikTok worth?

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives estimates TikTok is worth “well north of $US100 billion ($161 billion)” with the algorithm — and potentially up to $US200 billion in a “best-case scenario”.

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“Without the algorithm,it’s $US40 billion to $US50 billion,” Ives said. He did not believe ByteDance and Beijing would sell TikTok with the algorithm.

Lawyers for TikTok and ByteDance have said it is impossible to divest the platform commercially and technologically. They also say any sale of TikTok without the coveted algorithm — the platform’s secret sauce that Chinese authorities would probably block under any divestiture plan — would turn the US version of TikTok into an island disconnected from other global content.

US officials said the proprietary algorithm was vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities,who can use it to shape content on the platform in a way that’s difficult to detect.

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Who’s serious about buying TikTok?

Billionaire businessman and real estate mogul Frank McCourt and his internet advocacy group recently announced it had submitted a proposal to buy the social media site from ByteDance. Famed Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary has also joined the effort.

The group has not disclosed details of the bid.

If a sale occurs,McCourt,a former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers,said he would plan to restructure TikTok and give more agency to people “over their digital identities and data” by migrating the platform to an open-source protocol that allows for more transparency.

Former US Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin has also taken steps to purchase TikTok.

Shortly after Congress passed the ban,Mnuchin toldCNBC he had started creating an investor group that would purchase the popular social media company. He offered no details about who may be in the group or about TikTok’s possible valuation.

Former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt is part of a group trying to buy the American arm of TikTok.

Former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt is part of a group trying to buy the American arm of TikTok.Credit:WireImage

When Mnuchin was Treasury secretary,he helped the Trump administration broker a deal in 2020 that would have had US corporations Oracle and Walmart take a large stake in TikTok on national security grounds.

Several other names have been floated as possible buyers,including the world’s richest person,Tesla CEO Elon Musk.The Wall Street Journal reported that former Blizzard-Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has discussed putting a proposal together with Open AI billionaire Sam Altman. Jimmy Donaldson (MrBeast) recently posted on social media he had interest in being part of a deal. Whether these buyers are serious and actively assembling a bid for the company,however,is not clear.

What is next?

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Trump’s authority to hit pause on a law that passed by wide margins in Congress,the US Supreme Court,that was unanimously upheld on Friday and which took effect on Sunday is uncertain. Trump has credited TikTok with helping him win the support of more young voters in last year’s election.

Only the sitting president can issue a 90-day stay on the ban and only then if a buyer has taken concrete steps toward a purchase.

AP

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