TikTok Restores Service For U.S. Users

Just hours after going dark due to a federal ban, TikTok returned service to its users in the United States on Sunday.

This is after President-elect Donald Trump said he would attempt to halt it by executive order on his first day in office.

This comes into place after a law banning the Chinese-owned app on national security grounds went into effect on Saturday night, and it stopped functioning for American users.

“To be honest, we have no other option. At a rally on Sunday before his inauguration, Trump declared, “We have to save it.”

He also said the United States would seek a joint venture to revive the app that 170 million Americans use to share short videos.

Trump, who had previously supported banning the platform, pledged on Sunday to postpone the law’s implementation to give more time for an agreement to which TikTok then stated that it was “restoring service” at the time.

The app resumed functioning, and millions of users received a popup message thanking Trump by name.

The message said, “Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.”

TikTok parent company ByteDance said in a statement on X that it would collaborate with Trump “on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.”

It also outlined that the incoming president “provided the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties.”

The “Hair on Fire” Moment

Following months of conventional wisdom that a solution would emerge to keep the app running, marketing firms that depend on TikTok have hurried to prepare backup plans in what one executive called a “hair on fire” moment.

According to Google Trends, the number of searches for “VPN” increased in the minutes following the loss of TikTok access for American users.

Instagram users were concerned about whether they would continue to receive goods they had purchased on TikTok Shop, the e-commerce division of the video platform.

Frank McCourt, a former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, is among the suitors who have shown interest in the rapidly expanding company, which analysts predict could have a $50 billion valuation.

Although the company has denied it, media reports claim Beijing has also discussed selling TikTok’s U.S. operations to billionaire and Trump supporter Elon Musk.

Right now, roughly 60 percent is owned by global institutional investors (such as Blackrock, General Atlantic, and Susquehanna International Group), 20 percent by the company’s founders, and the remaining 20 percent by its employees, including over 7,000 U.S.-based employees.