Ex Activision Blizzard CEO wants to buy TikTok, but waits to see which way Mar-a-Lago is turning

Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick is apparently still interested in acquiring TikTok: this is according to sources familiar with his plans.

information However, reports suggest that Kotick appears to be waiting for Donald Trump to take office before taking further action. As you may have heard, TikTok faces a looming deadline of January 19 to divest itself of its relationship with its Chinese parent, ByteDance. or face a U.S. ban under a law passed earlier this year. Since Trump takes office on January 20, he may delay enforcement of the ban for 90 days, creating an opportunity for Kotick and other potential buyers to negotiate.

Kotick first expressed interest in TikTok earlier this year but has not yet made an offer to ByteDance shareholders, insiders said. His timetable suggests that if a ban takes effect, even temporarily, negotiations could accelerate once a new administration takes office.

Meanwhile, ByteDance is challenging the law in court, seek urgent delay This would allow time to appeal to the Supreme Court or negotiate with the new government.

But will ByteDance sell? So far, there’s no sign it will do so. In fact, this is what the company says Won’t sell.

Despite the legal challenges, ByteDance has not expressed willingness to sell TikTok, and any sale would likely require approval from the Chinese government. China’s export controls on software algorithms, including the ones TikTok uses to recommend videos, further complicate any potential deal.

However, Kotick believes the long-term relationships he built in China during his time at Activision through partnerships with major Chinese companies like Tencent and NetEase give him a competitive advantage. He also has a personal relationship with ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming, which could facilitate discussions.

Personally, I don’t think these personal connections will help if ByteDance and the Chinese government decide not to sell.