Apple has denied interest in acquiring TikTok after an Axios story from earlier Tuesday reported that Apple was looking into a potential deal. The Trump administration has threatened to ban TikTok from the U.S. due to national security concerns about Chinese parent company ByteDance.
Microsoft on Sunday confirmed that U.S. President Trump and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella have discussed Microsoft exploring a purchase of TikTok in the United States from China-owned parent company ByteDance.
The TikTok app allows users to create 15 second videos, soundtracked by music clips. TikTok says the app has 100 million users in the United States.
An Apple spokesperson told Axios following that report that the company hasn’t held discussions about buying TikTok and isn’t interested in a deal.
Microsoft Corp. is considered to be the most logical bidder for TikTok and the company confirmed over the weekend that it would continue discussions about a possible deal.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple has enough problems in and with China (with the ever-present potential for more issues looming). Apple might be the last company on earth who’d want to buy TikTok.