tech

1/27/25

TikTok’s latest round of potential buyers includes Oracle and Perplexity AI

After President Trump announced that saving TikTok would require the US — it’s not clear whether he meant US companies or the government itself — to have a 50% ownership stake in a new venture, a new round of bids is flowing in for ByteDance’s short-form video app:

Oracle, which had successfully bid for TikTok during Trump’s last administration, along with other investors is discussing taking a majority stake in the company’s global operations, NPR reports. “The goal is for Oracle to effectively monitor and provide oversight with what is going on with TikTok,” said an anonymous source directly involved in the talks. “ByteDance wouldn’t completely go away, but it would minimize Chinese ownership.”
Perplexity AI has also mounted a new bid that would give the US government up to 50% ownership of a new entity that combines Perplexity and TikTok’s US business, following an initial public offering of at least $300 billion, according to the Associated Press. The deal wouldn’t include the TikTok’s vaunted recommendation algorithm and the government would not have voting power or a seat on the new company’s board.

Trump, who said he’s in talks with “many people” interested in buying TikTok, expects to have a decision in 30 days, Reuters reports.

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Tesla turns positive for the year

Tesla shares surged Monday after CEO Elon Musk disclosed buying more than $1 billion worth.

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Mapped: Where Google’s Waymo is, will be, and might go

Waymo is operating more than 2,000 autonomous vehicles and testing in many markets. Meanwhile, Tesla’s autonomous operations are tiny, but its ambitions are huge.

tech

1h

Snap and Meta fall as Trump hints at TikTok deal, Bessent says framework for an agreement has been reached

Snap fell more than 1% premarket while Meta dropped about 0.5% after President Donald Trump hinted on his social media platform, Truth Social, that a TikTok deal was reached during the European trade meetings. “A deal was also reached on a ‘certain’ company that young people in our Country very much wanted to save,” he wrote. “They will be very happy!”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was more explicit, telling reporters in Madrid that a framework for a TikTok deal has been reached, according to Bloomberg.

Trump said he would speak with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday.

Back in 2024, a bipartisan group of lawmakers agreed that TikTok was such an unspeakable threat to American security that it had to be outlawed or sold to an American buyer. Since then, Trump has thrice pushed back the deadline for the deal, saving the app from going dark.

As Sherwood News’ Nate Becker has noted, Oracle is a likely contender to buy or run TikTok.

Tesla gets permit to test autonomous cars in Nevada as autonomous driving heats up there

Amazon’s self-driving Zoox launched service this week, and Google’s Waymo is testing there.

Las Vegas Exteriors And Landmarks - 2024

tech

9/11/25

OpenAI and Microsoft reach agreement that moves OpenAI closer to for-profit status

In a joint statement, OpenAI and Microsoft announced a “non-binding memorandum of understanding” for their renegotiated $13 billion partnership, which was a source of recent tension between the two companies.

Settling the agreement is a requirement to clear the way for OpenAI to convert to a for-profit public benefit corporation, which it must do before a year-end deadline to secure a $20 billion investment from SoftBank.

OpenAI also announced that the controlling nonprofit arm would hold an equity stake in the PBC valued at $100 billion, which would make it “one of the most well-resourced philanthropic organizations in the world.”

The statement read:

“This recapitalization would also enable us to raise the capital required to accomplish our mission — and ensure that as OpenAI’s PBC grows, so will the nonprofit’s resources, allowing us to bring it to historic levels of community impact.”

A joint statement from OpenAI and Microsoft

A joint statement from OpenAI and Microsoft

Settling the agreement is a requirement to clear the way for OpenAI to convert to a for-profit public benefit corporation, which it must do before a year-end deadline to secure a $20 billion investment from SoftBank.

OpenAI also announced that the controlling nonprofit arm would hold an equity stake in the PBC valued at $100 billion, which would make it “one of the most well-resourced philanthropic organizations in the world.”

The statement read:

“This recapitalization would also enable us to raise the capital required to accomplish our mission — and ensure that as OpenAI’s PBC grows, so will the nonprofit’s resources, allowing us to bring it to historic levels of community impact.”

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