Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central
What you need to know
- Owners of TikTok, ByteDance have rejected Microsoft's bid.
- Oracle announced that it has proposed a deal that will see it become a "trusted technology provider."
- The U.S. government still needs to be approved Oracles deal with ByteDance.
The long, ever-changing landscape of the TikTok drama with the Trump administration at least has one chapter now closed: Microsoft. On late Sunday, Microsoft announced the news in a terse public statement. The full statement from Microsoft reads in full:
ByteDance let us know today they would not be selling TikTok's US operations to Microsoft. We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikTok's users while protecting national security interests. To do this, we would have made significant changes to ensure the service met the highest standards for security, privacy, online safety, and combatting disinformation, and we made these principles clear in our August statement. We look forward to seeing how the service evolves in these important areas.
The New York Times sheds light on the story noting that this leaves only Oracle in the running – a company with public allegiance to Trump. ̶W̶h̶i̶l̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶ ̶o̶d̶d̶ ̶f̶i̶t̶,̶ ̶O̶r̶a̶c̶l̶e̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶l̶y̶ ̶h̶a̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶c̶a̶p̶i̶t̶a̶l̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶d̶o̶ ̶s̶o̶m̶e̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶p̶o̶p̶u̶l̶a̶r̶ ̶s̶o̶c̶i̶a̶l̶ ̶n̶e̶t̶w̶o̶r̶k̶.̶ ̶B̶o̶t̶h̶ ̶B̶y̶t̶e̶D̶a̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶O̶r̶a̶c̶l̶e̶ ̶d̶e̶c̶l̶i̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶m̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶N̶e̶w̶ ̶Y̶o̶r̶k̶ ̶T̶i̶m̶e̶s̶.̶
Update, September 14 (10:30 am ET): Oracle confirmed in a statement that it is "part of the proposal submitted by ByteDance to the Treasury Department over the weekend in which Oracle will serve as the trusted technology provider."
While no apparent reason was revealed as to why TikTok rejected Microsoft's bid, the Times reported the U.S. takeover's breadth would have to be significant for Microsoft, making ByteDance skittish:
The Chinese regulations helped scuttle the effort by Microsoft, which said the only way it could both protect the privacy of TikTok users in the United States and prevent Beijing from using the app as a venue for disinformation was to take over the computer source code underlying the app, and the algorithms that determine what videos are seen by the 100 million Americans who use it each month.
Oracle, at least publicly, has not committed to such stringent requirements.
The TikTok soap opera with Microsoft began on August 6th. The saga quickly spiraled into madness after that with Walmart entering the fray, Bill Gates chiming in, and plenty of impromptu demands from the Trump administration (not to mention China).
For now, Microsoft appears to have dodged a bullet that may have been politically unpopular in the long term.
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

Review: The XPS 13 (9310) gets even better thanks to Intel 11th Gen Evo
Earlier this year, the XPS 13 (9300) hit the streets with an all-new redesign that we adored. Nearly everything about this premium Ultrabook was perfect. So, what happens when you put in Intel's latest 11th Gen Evo processors into the XPS 13 (9310)? You get a laptop that is measurably faster and longer lasting by hours. Here are our full results in our updated review.

The Surface Duo's April 2021 update and changelog is here
Microsoft's Surface Duo's April security patch is on the way. It's 338MB in size and takes the build from 2021.207.70 to 2021.314.91. No details on what improvements are included have been disclosed yet.

Use GroupMe? You're finally going to get this long-overdue feature
Beta versions of GroupMe on iOS, Android, and Windows 10 are finally gaining a past-due feature: the ability to delete messages. The feature is now live for Windows Insiders and those enrolled in the beta programs. Such a feature would be necessary if GroupMe is to become a more extensive public social network.

Play Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 on the go with these gaming laptops
You don't require a desktop PC to truly enjoy Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. We've rounded up some fine gaming laptops, like the excellent Razer Blade 15, that will more than happily let you take to the skies without a desk.