Microsoft Expands TikTok Acquisition Plans to the Global Business

According to several people familiar with the matter, Microsoft is seeking a deal to acquire TikTok's global business, including viral video applications in India and Europe.

The American software company said on Sunday that it is in talks with ByteDance, the creator of the app, to discuss "purchasing TikTok services in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand."

At the same time, Microsoft executives tried to reassure the Chinese government to avoid a crossfire between Beijing and Washington.

It is difficult to solve the considerable challenge of untangling TikTok's technology from ByteDance. Employees said that, before the talks began, ByteDance had been working hard to separate data and algorithms between China and the rest of the world.

Microsoft has discussed adding an agreement under which it will have a one-year period to separate TikTok from the Chinese parent company and resolve the US government's occupation of the security of application-generated data.

On Monday, Donald Trump, US president, said that whoever bought TikTok would have to pay a "substaintial" fee to the US Treasury. Later, on Wednesday, he said that Microsoft agreed to this payment.