On Friday, the US Supreme Court unanimously approved the proposal for the ban.
A deadline for the Chinese parent company Bytedance to sell Tiktok to a US owner expires on Sunday. Otherwise, the service will be banned due to security concerns surrounding the platform's ties to China's dictatorial regime.
According to sources, AI company Perplexity AI contacted Bytedance on Saturday and proposed a merger with Tiktok's US division.
More video material
The new corporate structure would allow most of Bytedance's current investors to retain their ownership shares while also providing Perplexity AI's search engine with more video material, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Bytedance has openly hinted that Tiktok's US division is not for sale. Therefore, Perplexity AI believes that the bid has a chance, since it is more about a merger than a purchase.
"Over 50 billion dollars"
The source believes that a reasonable price lies "well over 50 billion dollars" (560 billion kronor).
Trump will be sworn in on Monday. As president, he has the opportunity to grant a 90-day extension – something that is now "highly likely" to happen.
You know, it's suitable. We need to take a close look at this, says Trump in the interview.
Both outgoing President Joe Biden and Trump have already signaled that they will not immediately impose the ban. On the other hand, Tiktok has said that the popular service may still be shut down as early as Sunday.
