Five years after President Trump threatened to ban TikTok, the platform has finalized a deal for a spin-off version to be introduced in the U.S. The TikTok USDT Joint Venture will see three American firms each holding a 15% stake, including Larry Ellison’s Oracle, alongside Silver Lake and MGX. TikTok’s Chinese-based parent company, ByteDance, will
Five years after President Trump threatened to ban TikTok, the platform has finalized a deal for a spin-off version to be introduced in the U.S.
The TikTok USDT Joint Venture will see three American firms each holding a 15% stake, including Larry Ellison’s Oracle, alongside Silver Lake and MGX. TikTok’s Chinese-based parent company, ByteDance, will continue holding a 19.9% stake. Other renowned investors are Dell CEO and founder Michael Dell, Susquehanna International Group managing director Mark Dooley, and TPG Global senior advisor Timothy Dattels.
As the platform prepares to reopen in the U.S., iGaming operators who previously used it to increase crash game engagement and introduce new games to their audiences through streaming are now worried whether TikTok’s algorithm will work in the same way.
At the moment, casinos and sports betting operators are allowed to advertise on TikTok if they work with a company sales representative and follow U.S. guidelines.
Under the deal, the Joint Venture will retrain, test, and update the content recommendation algorithm for U.S. users. The company will also have authority for decision-making on trust and safety policies, including content moderation.
Mike Craddock, CEO and co-founder of social media agency NewGen, said:
“Algorithm updates and evolving feed dynamics are part of the landscape, and the same rulebook applies: stay adaptable, test continuously, and build strategies that can flex as platforms change. What drives performance today may look very different in a matter of months, so agility will be key. For gaming brands, success on TikTok will continue to come from creativity that resonates with communities, not from relying on any single version of the algorithm.”
TikTok’s former general manager and global head of operations, Adam Presser, will assume the CEO role at the TikTok USDT Joint Venture.