The long process that brought TikTok’s U.S. operations under new American leadership began nearly six years ago, when concerns grew in Washington about the security of Americans’ data. The popular short-video platform, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd., found itself at the center of a geopolitical standoff between the U.S. and China. At the time, the app’s massive popularity clashed with growing anxiety about where user information was stored and who could access it.
What followed was a complicated negotiation that spanned administrations, court challenges, and repeated deadlines. In 2020, former President Trump issued an executive order calling for TikTok’s U.S. assets to be spun off from ByteDance, citing national security risks. The order forced ByteDance into talks with American investors and technology partners who could manage domestic operations independently. The process didn’t resolve overnight. It evolved through several proposals that tried, and failed, to balance U.S. security requirements with ByteDance’s ownership interests.
That long negotiation phase has now reached its conclusion. The newly formed joint venture, majority owned by U.S. investors, has formally taken control of TikTok’s American business. The group announced its leadership team this week, just one day before the federal deadline for completing the asset transfer. According to its official site, the new company will operate under strict safeguards designed to protect U.S. national security through strong data protections, algorithm oversight, and transparency measures for American users.
Leading this new entity is Adam Presser, the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer. Presser is not a newcomer to TikTok; he previously directed the company’s data protection work in the United States and played a central role in designing the systems now forming the core of its domestic infrastructure. Joining him is Chief Security Officer Will Farrell, who helped oversee privacy and security under TikTok’s previous U.S. data initiatives. Together, they represent continuity with a team already familiar with the scrutiny that the platform has faced.
The joint venture’s board reflects a blend of corporate and investment voices from both technology and finance. Among them is Shou Chew, Chief Executive Officer of TikTok’s U.S. business; Kenneth Glueck, Executive Vice President in the Office of the Chief Executive Officer at Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL); and representatives of investment firm Susquehanna International Group, private equity firm Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi-based MGX. Each entity has a distinct role in the venture’s structure and strategic direction.
Oracle serves as the primary technology partner. It originally entered TikTok’s orbit in 2020 as part of an early plan to manage American user data through its cloud services. Today, that role has expanded to include hosting and oversight of algorithm integrity, a key concern raised by regulators. Susquehanna, one of ByteDance’s earliest backers, brings investment continuity and financial expertise to the board. Silver Lake, known for its presence in tech-focused private equity, adds governance experience in managing complex global assets under heavy regulatory supervision. MGX’s participation reflects growing Gulf investment interest in high-profile digital media ventures, marking a shift in where global capital is sourced for U.S. technology projects.
For ByteDance, this transaction closes a turbulent chapter and offers a long-sought path forward in the American market. For the U.S., it represents the first major case in which foreign-owned digital infrastructure has been partly rebuilt under domestic control. The deal balances national security goals with the economic reality that TikTok remains one of the world’s largest social platforms, a vital tool for creators, advertisers, and consumers alike.
The coming months will test how effective these new safeguards are and how the joint venture maintains transparency in data management. Yet the broader message of this outcome goes beyond the platform itself. It shows that even in an era of fractured global technology policy, pragmatic business partnerships can still emerge when legal clarity, regulatory pressure, and market demand converge.
