Oracle's Patience Wins Over TikTok

US Gov to review Oracle x TikTok deal
Charlie Richardson
2 February 2021
Oracle's Patience Wins Over TikTok

What happened and why The US government will review a deal between Oracle (+4.34%) and ByteDance on Tuesday, potentially ending the rolling battle for TikTok's status in America. 'Potentially'... being the operative word. Oracle landed terms with Bytedance (the owner of TikTok) to become a “trusted technology provider”... that's right, no merger or acquisition here... Oracle are just looking after TikTok’s US data. But this deal could still run into some headwinds, with both the American and Chinese governments reviewing the terms of the deal. Here's what we're finding out... 🇺🇸 American HQ... TikTok, would become a US-headquartered company, with ByteDance as the majority shareholder and Oracle as a minority shareholder.💰 Room for some small ones... Other interested investors sniffing around — including Sequoia Capital and Walmart — will be able to snap up a smaller stake in the new entity. Only 10 days ago... analysts were talking up Microsoft & Walmart (AKA #TeamMicroMart) as the leading suitor to acquire TikTok's American operations. But Bytedance snubbed the offer, in favour a better deal that leaves them in charge and with Oracle at their service... "Tech provider"... A vague role but the expectation is that TikTok will shift its data into the Oracle cloud (and away from Google).Bolt ons... Oracle could also get TikTok to use its marketing software for ads. Poli-techs... With more than 2 billion downloads outside China and an American election on the horizon, this is an historically politically-sensitive deal. And all eyes are glued on who owns the infamous TikTok algorithm (that no one really understands). TikTok will continue to have access to the recommendation algo for selecting videos on users' For You pages, while Oracle will take over the management and processing of TikTok's user data in the US. | The Takeaway Old dog, new Ticks... Oracle, best known as a mega database player and a $187 billion tech giant in its own right, is an unlikely partner for TikTok. But the company emerged as the No.1 pick after Microsoft confirmed Sunday that its bid for TikTok was turned down. 🤝 Friends in high places... The new TikTok entity would have "independent oversight" and be managed "at arm's length" by ByteDance. Whether that's enough for President Trump remains to be seen but the with a predicted 20,000 new employees being created and a close relationship with Oracle's founder and Chairman, Larry Ellison, analysts fancy a deal could be done.