So… is there a TikTok deal or not?

China and the US person “made progress” connected granting support for ByteDance to merchantability TikTok to an American consortium, fulfilling a nine-months-overdue ineligible requirement. After saying a tentative woody had been reached Monday and that support would travel Friday, President Donald Trump’s medication has issued an update that leaves the existent presumption ambiguous and the details bare-bones.

“I conscionable completed a precise productive telephone with President Xi of China. We made advancement connected galore precise important issues including Trade, Fentanyl, the request to bring the War betwixt Russia and Ukraine to an end, and the support of the TikTok Deal,” Trump posted connected Truth Social, noting helium and Xi Jinping would conscionable astatine the APEC Summit successful Korea successful October. “The telephone was a precise bully one, we volition beryllium speaking again by phone, admit the TikTok approval, and some look guardant to gathering astatine APEC!”

“Appreciate the TikTok approval” makes Xi’s benediction dependable similar a done deal. “We made progress,” however, does not.

TikTok posted an equivocal effect connected X. “We convey President Xi Jinping and President Donald J. Trump for their efforts to sphere TikTok successful the United States,” it said. “ByteDance volition enactment successful accordance with applicable laws to guarantee TikTok remains disposable to American users done TikTok U.S.”

This leaves america successful efficaciously the aforesaid spot arsenic we were earlier this week, erstwhile the Trump medication announced a “framework” statement had been reached; not agelong after, it extended the January 2025 merchantability deadline for the 4th time. Reporting connected Tuesday indicated that the woody could really instrumentality 30 to 45 much days.

The expected buyers are a consortium that includes Oracle, Andreessen Horowitz, and Susquehanna International Group, with ByteDance reportedly retaining a stock conscionable shy of 20 percent, arsenic mandated by a divest-or-ban instrumentality Congress passed successful 2024. They’re expected to make a mentation of the app with a caller proposal algorithm walled disconnected from Chinese control.

TikTok users, meanwhile, are inactive successful the acheronian astir the aboriginal of their app — hoping different commercialized warfare won’t throw a wrench successful the agreement, with nary hard timeline for solution successful sight.