TikTok is arguably the most popular and influential app in the world. TikTok generated an astounding $23 billion in revenue in 2024, with 77% of its revenue coming from advertising in the app. TikTok has been downloaded over 5 billion times; to put that into perspective, that is 60% of the human population! It’s no exaggeration to say that TikTok is a vital part of many people’s daily lives. Throughout the history of the app, it has been subjected to much controversy, especially over its jurisdiction in China and the fear that China was stealing users’ information. Since 2020, TikTok has been constantly under the spotlight, and these concerns from the 2020s still exist today. Specifically, in September, President Trump signed an executive order that would delay TikTok from being banned and eventually place it under U.S. management. In this proposed deal, the original founding group of TikTok, ByteDance, would own about 20% of the U.S. TikTok app, while U.S. investors would own 80% of the company. However, ByteDance would be banned from any security or privacy matters involving the U.S. This deal would hopefully put an end to the fear and hysteria surrounding China’s ownership of TikTok that has plagued the app for years.
On October 30, 2025, according to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, China approved a transfer agreement with TikTok. Bessent claims that we will see a resolution to TikTok in a few weeks, as approval from China was achieved.
What does this mean for the future of TikTok?
What’s most likely going to happen is that TikTok will be under the management of U.S. investors instead of its current ownership. Now, does this mean that you will lose your account? Will you have to download a new app? Do you have to make an entirely new account? These are all questions that will hopefully be answered in the coming weeks, but I think it’s safe to say that TikTok is far too integral to be leaving us.
Sources:
Newsweek.com
buissnessofapps.com
