5 Questions Gen Zers Have About The U.S. TikTok Deal

On Sept. 25, President Donald Trump signed an executive order advancing the transfer of majority ownership of TikTok to a coalition of American investors. The deal being made with ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, will allocate more ownership and power in the app to the U.S. — and if you’ve been keeping your eye on this issue for the past few years, you know it’s been a long time coming.

Trump’s pursuit of TikTok company began in 2020 during his first term — he signed executive orders regarding the app due to concerns over national security, with wishes to obtain TikTok as an American-owned and -controlled company. However, his actions faced legal challenges, and bans never went into effect during his first term. Then in 2024, President Joe Biden signed a bill that stated TikTok either needed to sell its U.S. operations, or it would be banned in the U.S., with a deadline of early 2025. Fast-forward to Jan. 18, 2025, the app shut itself down in the U.S. in preparation for the federal ban to go into effect the next day. However, that same day, the app came back, citing negotiations with Trump to keep it running. Since then, Trump has delayed the ban multiple times in order to buy more time to broker a deal.

Now that a sale appears to be happening, some Gen Z TikTok fans feel it will be smooth sailing from here, now that the threat of an app ban is no longer looming. However, others aren’t so sure. Here are some unanswered concerns Gen Zers have about the fate of the fan-favorite social media app.  

What Does This Executive Order Do?

Foreign commerce is a complicated legal process — one that could take years to pass through the House and Senate before being signed into law. With this executive order, Trump is attempting to bypass Congress and get the new TikTok deal signed into law.

Will the TikTok Algorithm Change?

Thursday’s executive order highlights that the deal grants majority ownership to American investors in the app, which will allow them to control how the algorithm works. TikTok’s algorithm is known for being unique to users, but a shift of technological power may lead to changes to one’s typical FYP content. What those changes may look like — especially with the company being controlled by Trump allies — remains to be seen.

Who’s Going To Own TikTok Now?

Due to the nature of the deal that Trump and his administration are working toward, there will be no sole owner of the U.S. operating TikTok app. Currently, former CEO and founder of ByteDance, Zhang Yiming, holds much of the ownership and holds significant voting rights for the app. The deal will transfer 80% of ownership to American investors; Oracle and Silver Lake groups along with a few others have reportedly been stakeholders in the deal. This leaves about 20% ownership to ByteDance and its affiliates. 

When Will The U.S. TikTok Deal Go Into Effect? 

Both Trump and Vice President JD Vance have confirmed the involvement of Chinese Leader Xi Jinping in the deal, which will likely keep the ball rolling on the administration’s efforts to secure the deal. However, coordinating finances and legality issues could take several more weeks or even months until ownership is transferred. 

Will American TikTokers Leave The App?

Trump, who now has a TikTok platform and utilized it to build a young voter constituency in the 2024 presidential election, has not made announcements regarding plans to change TikTok. But, of course, creators will have varying reactions to the news of the executive order, and based on whatever changes come to the app, they might decide it’s not for them. However, the future of TikTok in the U.S. still remains to be seen.

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