(Reuters) – Microsoft Corp is chasing a deal to buy all of TikTok’s global business the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing five people with knowledge of the talks.
Microsoft has said it is seeking to buy the assets of TikTok in North America, Australia and New Zealand. It has not disclosed how much it is willing to pay, though sources previously told Reuters that ByteDance executives value all of TikTok at more than $50 billion.
The company is exploring whether it can add regions including India and Europe to the deal, the FT report said.(https://on.ft.com/3guMGjc)
One person close to ByteDance in India said there was a “deal in the works” with Microsoft for TikTok India but it fell through, according to the FT report.
TikTok faces a Sept. 15 deadline to either complete a sale of its U.S. operations to Microsoft or face a ban in the United States.
TikTok parent ByteDance and Microsoft did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
(Reporting by Neha Malara in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)
