TikTok US Deal Finalized: What to Know (Connecting the Dots: Booz Allen Hamilton, Silver Lake, Letitia James, Lisa Cook & Soros Funding, All Networking)
These are the new owners of the
TikTok USDS Joint Venture.
The Epoch Times
Catherine Yang
1/23/2026|Updated: 1/23/2026
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/tiktok-us-deal-finalized-what-to-know-5975327
Four months after President Donald
Trump issued an executive order for the United States to acquire TikTok from
China-based ByteDance, a deal
has been finalized, establishing a joint venture with American companies taking
the lead on data and security.
ByteDance’s 2017 acquisition of the
U.S. app, then called Musical.ly, triggered a yearslong investigation and
efforts by three U.S. administrations to require ByteDance to divest of TikTok
over national security concerns tied to the Chinese communist regime’s
intelligence-sharing laws.
The deal, finalized on Jan. 22,
establishes the TikTok USDS Joint
Venture, which is responsible for securing U.S. data and the app algorithms.
Other apps owned by ByteDance, such as CapCut and Lemon8, will fall under the
same requirements.
Who Runs and Owns TikTok Now?
The deal creates a seven-member
board of directors to govern the joint venture, according to the Jan. 22 deal
announcement.
The directors include TikTok CEO
Shou Chew; Timothy Dattels, a senior adviser at asset manager TPG Global, where
he previously chaired the Asia division and was a member of the executive
committee; Mark Dooley, managing director at trading giant Susquehanna
International Group; Egon Durban, co-CEO of private equity firm Silver Lake;
and Oracle executive Kenneth Glueck, who heads the tech giant’s global
corporate affairs and communications and advises the CEO on global strategy and
policy.
The two other board members are
Raul Fernandez, who will serve as independent director and chair of the joint
venture’s security committee, and David Scott, who will also serve on the
security committee. Fernandez is the president and CEO of IT consultancy DXC
Technology, and Scott is the chief strategy and safety officer at tech
investment firm MGX.
The board appointed Adam Presser as
CEO of the TikTok USDS Joint Venture and Will Farrell as chief security
officer. Presser previously served as TikTok’s global head of Operations and
Trust & Safety and as an executive in WarnerMedia, including heading its
China division. Farrell previously served as global head of business operations
and protection for TikTok and has a cybersecurity background with 16 years at Booz
Allen Hamilton.
Managing
investors Silver Lake,
Oracle, and MGX each hold 15 percent of the venture. ByteDance is retaining a
19.9 percent stake in the joint venture.
The other investors are: Michael
Dell’s investment firm, Dell Family Office; Vastmere Strategic Investments,
LLC, an affiliate of Susquehanna International Group; Alpha Wave Partners;
Revolution; Merritt Way; Via Nova; Virgo LI, Inc.; and NJJ Capital, the family
office of French investor Xavier Niel.
Why Does the US Need to Own TikTok?
Congress passed a law in 2024
requiring apps owned or controlled by foreign adversaries to sever that
connection in order to operate in the United States, singling out ByteDance’s
ownership of TikTok.
ByteDance had argued it was not
controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and sought for years to
convince the U.S. government to accept an alternative to divestment. Still,
U.S. officials had said
that because the Chinese regime has enacted laws to require all entities
operating in China to assist with the regime’s data and intelligence collection
on demand, a Chinese-based entity such as ByteDance cannot reasonably make
security guarantees.
Then-President Joe Biden signed the
Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act into
law in April 2024, triggering a countdown for ByteDance to divest of the
popular social media app by the end of Biden’s term. ByteDance took the
government to court, which extended the deadline so as to give Trump, as the
incoming president, a say over the fate of the app.
ByteDance maintained that Beijing
would not allow it to sell the app to a foreign entity, a point that proponents
of divestment took to mean that the regime did have some control over
operations involving TikTok. Trump delayed the divestment deadline several
times to prevent TikTok from going dark, and in September 2025, he announced
that he had spoken to CCP leader Xi Jinping, who agreed to allow ByteDance to
sell to a U.S. owner.
Will the App Change?
White House officials have said
there will be no interruption to service. The purpose of the joint venture is
to adhere to national security mandates as set out in the 2024 law, and the new
group will be responsible for creating safeguards for U.S. users.
Proponents of divestment had raised
concerns about content in addition to data security, and management of TikTok’s
famously addictive, infamously opaque algorithm
had been a sticking point in
the deal. Researchers had found
that the app tended to suppress content critical of the CCP’s human rights abuses,
for example, raising concerns that other forms of content manipulation could
occur and be difficult to detect.
The joint venture will be
responsible for training, testing, and updating the algorithm, which is to be
secured by Oracle. Oracle will serve as the venture’s Trusted Security Partner
and will also play a part in the ongoing review of the app’s source code.
TikTok also faces several lawsuits
related to harm
to minors,
with plaintiffs arguing the app targets young users with disproportionately
negative content, to which the app has responded that it implements content
moderation and safeguards.
The new joint venture will also
have “decision-making authority for trust and safety policies and content
moderation,” according to the Jan. 22 deal announcement.
Officials have highlighted that the
deal will require Oracle to secure U.S. data on U.S. soil, but this has been
TikTok’s practice even under ByteDance ownership. Cybersecurity experts who advised
lawmakers and officials had pointed out that storage of data in a specific
location does not preclude access to that data during transfer.
However, the joint venture will
create a data privacy and cybersecurity program to be audited and certified by
third-party security experts, a move that ByteDance had previously proposed as
an alternative to divestment.
Lawmakers have said they will
review the deal to ensure adherence to the 2024 law, and the House Select
Committee on the CCP has said it plans to hold a hearing
with the leaders of the new joint venture on a date that has yet to be
scheduled.
Committee chair Rep. John Moolenaar
(R-Mich.) said in an emailed statement that the bipartisan panel of lawmakers
would be examining a few key issues as they reviewed the deal.
“The Chinese Communist Party cannot
be allowed to weaponize an app to divide and weaken our country. Does this deal
ensure China does not have influence over the algorithm? Can the parties
involved assure Americans their data is secure?” he asked. “Those are questions
that need to be answered as the Select Committee does oversight of this deal.”
Connecting the
Dots:
Silver Lake Partners is an affiliate of Silver Lake.
Silver
Lake Kraftwerk Fund is a fund for Silver Lake.
Catherine
Radford Zoi is an executive for Silver Lake Kraftwerk Fund
and was the assistant secretary for energy efficiency at the U.S.
Department of Energy for the Barack Obama administration.
Soros Fund
Management is a partner with the Silver Lake Kraftwerk Fund.
George Soros is
the founder of Soros Fund Management and was the chairman for
the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings
Institution (think tank).
John S. Chen was
a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and is a
special adviser for Silver Lake.
Glenn H. Hutchins is
a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and was the
founder & managing partner for Silver Lake.
Cyrus F.
Freidheim Jr. is an honorary trustee at the Brookings
Institution (think tank), a member of the Commercial Club of
Chicago and was a managing director at Booz Allen Hamilton.
R. Eden Martin is
the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago and counsel
at Sidley Austin LLP.
Michelle Obama was
a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.
Barack Obama was
an intern at Sidley Austin LLP and his signature policy initiative
is Obamacare.
Newton N. Minow is
a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP and a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago.
Robert S. Osborne is
a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and was the EVP &
general counsel for Booz Allen Hamilton.
Edward Snowden was
an employee at Booz Allen Hamilton and leaked information
about the National Security Agency (NSA).
Booz Allen
Hamilton is a contractor for the National Security Agency
(NSA).
Booz Allen
Hamilton is a contractor for Obamacare.
Obamacare is Barack
Obama’s signature policy initiative.
Barack Obama’s signature
policy initiative is Obamacare and was an intern at Sidley
Austin LLP.
CGI Group Inc. was
the Obamacare contractor that developed Healthcare.gov
web site.
Donna S. Morea was
the EVP for the CGI Group Inc and a trustee at the Committee
for Economic Development.
Letitia
James is
the chair for the Committee on Economic Development and the
Attorney General of New York.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Committee
for Economic Development.
George Soros is
the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Lloyd Howell Jr. is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development and the EVP for Booz Allen Hamilton.
Roger W. Ferguson Jr. is a co-chairman for the Committee for
Economic Development and was the vice chairman for the Federal
Reserve Board.
Lisa Cook is a member of the Federal Reserve Board and a board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
Carl T. Camden is a director, Detroit branch for the Federal
Reserve Bank of Chicago and a trustee at the Committee for
Economic Development.
Jeffrey A. Joerres is
a director at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and a
trustee at the Committee for Economic Development.
Lloyd Howell Jr. is
a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development and the
EVP for Booz Allen Hamilton.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Committee
for Economic Development.
George Soros is
the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society and is the
founder of Soros Fund Management.
Soros Fund
Management is a partner with the Silver Lake Kraftwerk Fund.
Catherine
Radford Zoi is an executive for Silver Lake Kraftwerk Fund
and was the assistant secretary for energy efficiency at the U.S.
Department of Energy for the Barack Obama administration.
Silver Lake Kraftwerk Fund is a fund for Silver Lake.
Silver Lake Partners is an affiliate of Silver Lake.
Glenn H. Hutchins was
the founder & managing partner for Silver Lake and is a trustee
at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
John S. Chen is
a special adviser for Silver Lake, was a trustee at the Brookings
Institution (think tank) and a director at the Walt Disney
Company.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings
Institution (think tank).
George Soros was
the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Vernon E. Jordan
Jr. is an honorary trustee at the Brookings
Institution (think tank) and a senior counsel for Akin,
Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP.
Akin,
Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP was a lobby firm for the Walt
Disney Company.
Michael D. Eisner
was a chairman & CEO for the Walt Disney Company and is a
trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen
Institute (think tank). George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation
to Promote Open Society.
James S.
Crown is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), Lester
Crown’s son and a member of the Commercial Club of
Chicago.
Lester Crown was
a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), is James
S. Crown’s father and a member of the Commercial Club of
Chicago.
Robert S. Osborne is
a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and was the EVP &
general counsel for Booz Allen Hamilton.
Edward Snowden was
an employee at Booz Allen Hamilton and leaked information
about the National Security Agency (NSA).
Booz Allen
Hamilton is a contractor for the National Security Agency
(NSA).
Booz Allen
Hamilton is a contractor for Obamacare.
Cyrus F.
Freidheim Jr. was a managing director at Booz Allen
Hamilton, is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and an
honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings
Institution (think tank).
George Soros was
the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Glenn H. Hutchins is
a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and was the
founder & managing partner for Silver Lake.
John S. Chen was
a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), a director at
the Walt Disney Company and is a special adviser for Silver
Lake.
Silver Lake Partners is an affiliate of Silver Lake.
Silver
Lake Kraftwerk Fund is a fund for Silver Lake.
Catherine
Radford Zoi is an executive for Silver Lake Kraftwerk Fund
and was the assistant secretary for energy efficiency at the U.S.
Department of Energy for the Barack Obama administration.
Soros Fund
Management is a partner with the Silver Lake Kraftwerk Fund.
George Soros is
the founder of Soros Fund Management and was the chairman for
the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings
Institution (think tank).
Glenn H. Hutchins is
a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and was the
founder & managing partner for Silver Lake.
Cyrus F.
Freidheim Jr. is an honorary trustee at the Brookings
Institution (think tank), a member of the Commercial Club of
Chicago and was a managing director at Booz Allen Hamilton.
Resources: Past
Research
Trump Organization
Sues Capital One Over Closed Accounts (Connecting the Dots: Capitol One, Alec
Baldwin, People for the American Way, MSNBC, CNBC, Committee for Economic
Development, Obamacare, Commercial Club of Chicago, Booz Allen Hamilton, NSA,
FBI, CIA & Soros Funding, All Networking) (Past
Research on Booz Allen Hamilton)
Saturday, March 8, 2025
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2025/03/trump-organization-sues-capital-one.html
New York AG
Letitia James Indicted on Federal Charges (Connecting the Dots: Letitia James,
Fannie Mae, Judge Arthur Engoron, Judge Sparkle Leah Sooknanan, Judge Juan
Merchan, Lisa Cook, The Committee for Economic Development & Soros Funding,
All Networking) (Past Research on Letitia James
& Lisa Cook)
Thursday, October 9, 2025
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2025/10/new-york-ag-letitia-james-indicted-on.html
Silver Lake
Partners (Past Research on Silver Lake & Soros
Fund Management)
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2014/11/silver-lake-partners.html
More Examples of
AMC & Regal Sabotaging the “Sound of Freedom” Movie - Turning off A/C units
(Connecting the Dots: AMC, Silver Lake Parters, Disney & Soros Funding, All
Networking) (Past Research on Silver Lake &
Disney)
Sunday, July 16, 2023
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2023/07/more-examples-of-amc-regal-sabotaging.html
Chicago Activists
Unchained, Destroy Black Leadership (Past Research
on Lester Crown, the Commercial Club of Chicago & the Aspen Institute)
Thursday, October 30, 2014
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2014/10/chicago-activists-unchained-destroy.html
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