TikTok's fate in the US to be publicly announced on Friday, but don't get your hopes too high

For almost a year and a half now, 170 million people in the US wonder what's going to happen to their favorite app, TikTok. Since Biden signed the bill that demands TikTok to be divested of its ByteDance parent company, Trump extended the ban deadline numerous times in 2025.

Now, we may have an agreement that's to be announced at the end of the week.

US and Chinese officials have reached something

In the past days, there have been numerous talks in Madrid between US and Chinese officials. Among the topics discussed is, of course, TikTok.

These officials now say they've reached "a framework agreement" to sell TikTok to a US-based party. This is expected to be confirmed this Friday, when a call between US President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to take place.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the current September 17 deadline, which could have pulled the plug on TikTok's US operations, pushed both sides toward compromise. He noted that while Washington is prioritizing national security, Beijing wanted to safeguard cultural aspects:



So, the deal may extend the deadline by 90 days to finalize commercial terms. While officials did not disclose whether TikTok's parent company ByteDance would hand over its algorithms, Chinese regulators signaled the arrangement could involve licensing intellectual property rights. Any final agreement will likely need approval from Congress, which passed a 2024 law requiring divestiture due to concerns over Chinese access to American user data.

For Trump, however, TikTok also carries political weight: the app helped him reach voters during his re-election campaign, and the White House only recently opened an official account.

Just another deadline extension?

After 18 months of uncertainty, Friday's announcement could turn out to be… yet another vague statement. Officials say there's "a framework agreement" reached, but that doesn't mean that much, if there are another 90 days of deadline extension. Do you know what could happen in 90 days between the US and China? A lot.

TikTok, with 170 million US users, has become a centerpiece in the broader trade clash between Washington and Beijing. US lawmakers fear the app could be used by China for surveillance or influence campaigns, while Beijing accuses the US of unfairly targeting its companies. That's why I say a lot can happen in 90 days – even if both parties announce something constructive on Friday.

After all, the TikTok situation should be seen in a broader context – one that includes trade wars, tariffs, blocked semiconductor shipments, and restrictions on rare earth exports. Lots of things could go wrong and interrupt the eventual TikTok deal.

For now, both governments have incentives to declare progress — but TikTok's long-term ownership story is far from closed.

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