Microsoft may have a surprising bid partner in its pursuit of TikTok

By Sean Endicott
published

Walmart is the latest major corporation to express an interest in purchasing TikTok.

Microsoft Logo at Ignite
Microsoft Logo at Ignite (Image credit: Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • Walmart confirmed that it is teaming up with Microsoft in a bid to purchase TikTok.
  • TikTok could be sold in or around the next 48 hours, according to previous reports.
  • The sale of TikTok could be in the range of $20 billion to $30 billion.

Microsoft appears to have a new partner in its pursuit of TikTok, Walmart. The retail giant confirmed to CNBC that it is teaming up with Microsoft in a bid for TikTok.

According to sources that spoke with CNBC, Tiktok is close to an agreement to sell its operations in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The deal is likely to be worth $20 billion to $30 billion, according to CNBC's sources.

According to previous reports, TikTok could be sold in or around the next 48 hours.

Microsoft is in competition with Oracle to purchase TikTok, but the potential addition of Walmart to a bid could affect how things move forward.

Walmart said in a statement:

We believe a potential relationship with TikTok US in partnership with Microsoft could add this key functionality and provide Walmart with an important way for us to reach and serve omnichannel customers as well as grow our third-party marketplace and advertising businesses ... We are confident that a Walmart and Microsoft partnership would meet both the expectations of US TikTok users while satisfying the concerns of US government regulators.

It's unclear at this time how Walmart would utilize TikTok if it was successful in purchasing the company. Walmart did tell CNBC that TikTok's integration of e-commerce and advertising "is a clear benefit to creators and users in those markets."

Sean Endicott
Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott brings nearly a decade of experience covering Microsoft and Windows news to Windows Central. He joined our team in 2017 as an app reviewer and now heads up our day-to-day news coverage. If you have a news tip or an app to review, hit him up at sean.endicott@futurenet.com (opens in new tab).

6 Comments
  • I'm not a Walmart fan, but I like MS partnering with a consumer retailer for a major acquisition. That may have zero effect on their market perspective, but to the extent it's anything greater than zero, I think this would have a positive effect on Microsoft's consumer market thinking. For those of us who have been critical of Microsoft for its lack of consideration of the consumer market in its strategic planning, this could be a positive (albeit probably only a small positive).
  • God, this is stupid. None of this would be an issue if a) Elizabeth Warren didn't mainstream the demonization of Big Tech, cutting off the best matches between buyer and TikTok, and b) Republicans didn't tolerate Donald Trump's strongman industrial policy and abuse of power. Now a fading big-box retailer is going to own a video social network. Complete stupidity.
  • Walmart is fading?
  • Yeah, you didn't know the only retailer that actually competes with Amazon (or is really trying to) is fading?
  • This tells me they're less worried about Oracle and more worried about Amazon.
  • What about Target and Kmart Microsoft...?! lol