With the future of TikTok in the U.S. hanging in the balance, Oracle has stepped into the spotlight as a possible savior. As the 2025 deadline to finalize a U.S. sale looms, TikTok’s reliance on Oracle for data storage—and political ties—could determine whether the app lives or dies on American soil.
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TikTok’s Fate in the U.S. Could Hinge on Oracle
TikTok’s rollercoaster ride in the U.S. shows no signs of slowing down. With a hard deadline of April 2025 to sell its U.S. operations to a domestic buyer—or face an outright ban—the stakes are sky-high for one of the world’s most popular social media platforms.
Enter Oracle.
According to a new report from The Information, Oracle is emerging as a top contender to help anchor TikTok’s U.S. presence. The move wouldn’t be entirely out of left field—TikTok has been using Oracle’s cloud services since 2022 to store data from American users, so deepening that relationship could offer a sense of continuity in a politically fraught situation.
And right now, continuity is everything.
A Familiar Name with Political Clout
There’s more to Oracle’s candidacy than technical compatibility. Its CEO, Larry Ellison, is a known ally of former President Donald Trump, who played a pivotal role in pushing the original “divest-or-ban” legislation forward. In the high-stakes chess game of international tech regulation, those political connections could prove invaluable.
But even if the stars align stateside, one looming question remains: What will China say?
ByteDance—the Chinese parent company of TikTok—has reportedly shown interest in maintaining some level of operational control, despite any U.S.-based deal. And whether the Chinese government will greenlight the handoff to an American tech firm is far from certain.
The Countdown Begins
What’s clear is that time is running out. If TikTok fails to lock in a deal by next April, millions of U.S. users—creators, influencers, and small business owners alike—could find themselves abruptly cut off from the app that powers their brands and livelihoods.
So while the Oracle deal might be forming in the background, this isn’t just a corporate transaction—it’s a geopolitical tug-of-war with real-world consequences for everyday people.
And the longer the silence from Beijing, the louder the clock ticks.
