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published photo, Getty Images
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella described a proposed deal to acquire the Tik Tok app, under pressure from the White House under former US President Donald Trump, as “the strangest thing.”
In August 2020, Trump threatened to ban TikTok, a Chinese video app affiliated with parent company ByteDance, which has already entered negotiations with Microsoft.
The plan was to sell the app’s stake in the United States to an American company over concerns described as a threat to national security.
TikTok ultimately chose the competitor, Oracle, even though that deal was never made.
In an interview with Kara Swisher, technology journalist, at the Code conference, Nadella admitted that he was “a little surprised”.
He said TikTok is an “awesome product” and convenient for Microsoft because it is a cloud-based social media service that uses artificial intelligence technology.
The background to this proposed partnership was that then-President Trump had given until September 15, 2020 for the Chinese app to sell its business to the United States or close its doors.
published photo, Getty Images
A day before the deadline, Microsoft revealed that its offer to buy the company had been rejected.
TikTok struck a deal with Oracle and Walmart, however, after months of delays and court challenges, Trump stepped down and the need for such deals waned.
Nadella revealed a few more details at the time, including that Trump “had a certain vision of what he was trying to achieve and then stepped down.”
In June, President Joe Biden repealed an executive order banning TikTok and rival Chinese app WeChat, suspending any such deal with U.S. tech companies.
The US Department of Commerce has also announced that it will conduct ongoing reviews of applications designed in a “foreign adversary jurisdiction” such as China.
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