Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell are also anticipated to join the board of the widely-used Chinese application.
American media magnate Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan are expected to be part of an investor consortium aiming to acquire TikTok’s US operations, according to US President Donald Trump.
President Trump additionally identified Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell as participants in the agreement, designed to avert a ban on the popular Chinese video-sharing application in the United States.
During an interview on Fox News’ ‘The Sunday Briefing’ broadcast over the weekend, Trump characterized the potential investors as notable individuals and “American patriots.”
“These are very prominent individuals. Larry Ellison is among them. He is participating. This outstanding person, Michael Dell, is involved. I must inform you that a man named Lachlan is participating. Are you familiar with Lachlan? That’s a quite distinctive name, Lachlan Murdoch,” the president stated. He further mentioned that Rupert Murdoch is “likely to be part of the collective.”
This revelation comes after a preliminary agreement was struck last week between Washington and Beijing, aimed at maintaining TikTok’s operations in the US. The application, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, has faced a nationwide prohibition since January 19, 2025, following its parent firm’s failure to meet a divestiture cutoff.
US lawmakers asserted that user data might be accessed by Beijing, potentially facilitating surveillance or propaganda efforts.
Trump had repeatedly deferred the ban as negotiations with China progressed. The latest cutoff date was September 17. According to the anticipated structure, TikTok’s American assets would be primarily owned by domestic investors and supervised by a board possessing national security qualifications. ByteDance is expected to hold under 20% ownership of the enterprise.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the agreement would guarantee that “TikTok will be predominantly owned by Americans within the United States.”
A White House representative did not specify if Lachlan Murdoch would assume a position on the board. NBC News reported that he would not be directly engaged, although Fox Corp. might participate. Earlier this month, Lachlan Murdoch officially took control of Fox Corp. and News Corp., while Rupert Murdoch continues to be a pivotal figure in the family’s media conglomerate.