Microsoft CEO Says Failed TikTok Deal ‘Strangest Thing I’ve Worked On’

Microsoft’s near-acquisition of social media app TikTok final 12 months was the “strangest thing I’ve ever worked on,” Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella stated on Monday.

TikTok had been ordered by then-US President Donald Trump to separate its US, model from Chinese father or mother ByteDance due to nationwide safety issues in regards to the assortment of US customers’ information. Microsoft in August 2020 started talks on the proposed acquisition however the deal collapsed by September.

Trump’s divestment push ended by the point he left workplace in January and no potential suitor ending up buying TikTok.

Speaking on the Code Conference in Beverly Hills, California, Nadella stated he was wanting ahead to bringing Microsoft’s safety, youngster security, and cloud experience to TikTok.

“It’s unbelievable,” Nadella stated of the expertise throughout an on-stage interview. “I learned so many things about so much and so many people. First of all, TikTok came to us. We didn’t go to TikTok.”

“TikTok was caught in between a lot of things happening across two capitals,” Nadella continued. “President Trump had a particular point of view of what he was trying to get done there, and then it just dropped off. The [US government] had a particular set of requirements and then it just disappeared.”

Nadella stated what attracted ByteDance CEO Zhang Yiming to Microsoft was the US firm’s providers associated to content material moderation and youngster security, developed via merchandise included in Xbox video gaming instruments and on enterprise social community LinkedIn.

ByteDance didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

Nadella stated he has no concept whether or not the US remains to be pushing for a deal beneath President Joe Biden. The Biden administration has stated it’s reviewing the nationwide safety issues.

“At this point, I’m happy with what I have,” Nadella stated.

He additionally expressed help for better authorities regulation of cryptocurrency guidelines, which may stifle ransomware assaults for the reason that ransoms usually circulation via opaque programs.

© Thomson Reuters 2021