Opinion: In TikTok sale, Microsoft is no loser and Oracle no winner


TikTok and ByteDance are caught between two governments that maybe aren’t so different after all. — Reuters

Heartiest of congratulations go to Microsoft Corp. Six weeks after announcing to the world it was in talks to buy TikTok, the American software giant comes out to tell us it didn’t get the gig.

Instead, Oracle Corp looks set to buy the international version of the short-video service from Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd, though deal terms are still to be finalised. In missing out, Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella dodges a bullet. Now, it’s aimed straight at Oracle and Chairman Larry Ellison, a cheerleader for American technology and supporter of President Donald Trump – who fired one of the guns in this bizarre scenario.

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