Tiktok is preparing to launch an independent application for American users who are expected to operate in a separate algorithm and a data system of its global application, establishing the bases for a possible sale orchestrated by the president of the United States, Donald Trump, according to people familiar with the matter.
In recent months, Tiktok employees have been working under adjusted deadlines to build a new specific version of Tiktok transferring and double the application code base, including AI models, algorithms, user characteristics and data, from the global platform, to the current company employees. Reuterswho requested anonymity while arguing private matters.
The measure could open the door to solve years of debate on whether the company would share what is considered the crown jewel of the short video exchange platform owned by Bytedance, the recommendation algorithm that drives the Chinese property platform, which has been in the center of the confrontation of American-China technology.
Byteed and Tiktok declined to comment.
The initiative, internally known as “M2”, has a deadline of September and could represent the greatest technical break between American Tiktok operations and their international businesses. The change is expected to affect how 170 million US users access the global content and how non -American creators earn money on the platform.
The new exclusive US application is designed to function independently, similar to Douyin, the Tiktok version available exclusively in Continental China. Users outside the United States will not find the US version in their application store, the sources said.
The technical details of the next US application are reported here for the first time. The information first reported on the planned launch of the US TIKTOK application.
Although the current content is expected to migrate to the new application, it is not clear to what degree the new content of Tiktok’s global applications will be integrated in the US version. The new application is expected to use only US users data to train their recommendation algorithms, distancing it even more from Tiktok’s global systems, the sources added. As a result, most users will recommend content generated within the US.
Separation anxiety
The impulse to separate the American Tiktok application from its global platform has been underway for months, since Bytedance executives prepared several plans to avoid a prohibition of application in the United States, a movement required by the legislation recently approved about data security concerns.
The future of the application used by almost half of all Americans has been in the air since a law of 2024, approved with an overwhelming bipartisan support, Bytedance required to uninverting Tiktok before January 19.
Washington officials have said that Tiktok’s property by Bytedonce does so according to the Chinese government, and Beijing could use the application to perform influence operations against the US. UU. And collect data on Americans.
After the first deadline and a brief moment to “go dark” in January, Tiktok began to move data from non -American users outside the US data centers administered by Oracle, ensuring that only the data of US users. UU. Penan in servers in the US.
The company has also been working to separate the code base for its central algorithm since last year, a movement reported for the first time by Reuters and denied by the company at that time.
Once the division, central technology and continuous development are completed, they will be managed separately from the global Tiktok team, although some byedance employees could continue supporting us in Tiktok in a subcontracted capacity, added one of the sources.
This has raised internal concerns about whether the algorithm for the USA. It will remain as effective in the long term as it is today, when Tiktok can take advantage of the global engineering talent and the experience in Bytedonce products.
The project occurs when the Byteed faces continuous political pressure in Washington to disiniate their US affairs. This spring had been in the process to avoid American Tiktok operations in a new American company, but was suspended after China indicated that it would not approve it after Trump ads of pronounced tariffs on Chinese products.
If a sale is finished, the new application is expected to be owned by a joint company formed by a US and Byte investor consortium, which will maintain a minority participation.
The consortium, which has become the favorite, includes the current Shareholders of Bytedance Susquehanna International Group (SIG), General Atlantic, KKR, as well as new investors such as Blackstone and Andreessen Horowitz, Reuters previously reported. Oracle is likely to also take a stake.
Still, it is not clear if Beijing has approved the plan to copy the algorithm or sell American Tiktok operations.
During the previous negotiations, the Chinese authorities expressed a strong reluctance to allow the export of the Tiktok recommendation algorithm, widely seen as the valuable asset of Bytedance and a key promoter of their global popularity.
In 2020, when the Trump administration pressed for the first time for a sale of the American business of Tiktok, China updated its export control rules to cover technologies such as recommendation algorithms, giving the government effectively an opinion on any transfer.
At that time, the Tiktok management team rejected the plan to place its American and harmful operations for both users and the global network, according to people with knowledge of the decision.
Now, conversations about Tiktok’s destiny are also part of the widest commercial negotiations of President Trump with China about tariffs, the sources said.
Trump said last week that he would resume conversations with China about a Tiktok agreement. While he said “I was not sure” about Beijing’s approval, Trump added: “I think the agreement is good for China and is good for us.”
