President-elect Donald Trump delays the TikTok ban from going into effect

TikTok might have gone dark for less than 24 hours, and President-elect Donald Trump already misses those dance challenges. It seems that he isn't quite ready to say goodbye to his...err...favorite app yet.

In a post on his social network Truth Social on Sunday, the incoming U.S. President says he is asking companies [service providers] not to let TikTok stay dark, because "Americans deserve to see our exciting inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations."

"I will issue an executive order on Monday [January 20, 2025] to extend the period of time before [the] law's prohibitions take effect so that we can make a deal to protect our national security," he added.

Following this, TikTok restored the app online after a 14-hour outage on Sunday for its over 170 million users in the United States and thanked President Trump "for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok" to the American people and businesses.

While many creators have confirmed that the app is back and users who deleted the app can download it again from the app stores, it is a reprieve. The clock is still ticking, and TikTok needs to figure out a deal soon or face a full-on ban.

Trump says his initial thought is a joint venture that will see the United States owning 50 per cent of TikTok. In this proposed joint venture, ByteDance and/or new owners of TikTok would own the social media platform along with the U.S. equally.

It's a delicate situation that TikTok and ByteDance have found themselves in, as I don't believe that the company would easily hand over the TikTok recommendation algorithm – arguably the most valuable piece of software right now – which is considered the secret sauce to their success.

7 ByteDance apps that have been shut down in the U.S.
Not just TikTok.

In the next few weeks, there will be a lot of behind-the-scenes negotiations, especially from big tech companies. Already, Perplexity AI is seeking a merger and hoping to snag a piece of the TikTok pie.

Earlier, popular American YouTuber Mr Beast showed his interest in buying TikTok, and reports have suggested that Elon Musk could buy the social media platform, although he hasn't confirmed or denied the reports, but instead hinted at bringing back Vine, the X platform's TikTok-like short video platform.

Whatever happens, it is hoped that a long-term solution to the TikTok drama is in the offing, and if a deal will keep the social media platform around while also addressing the security concerns, I believe that everyone would be happy at the end of the day.