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President Trump hopes he can save TikTok (Jaap Arriens/Getty Images)
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TikTok US is worth only $14 billion, according to the Trump-backed deal

Charting how that stacks up against the rest of the social media landscape suggests Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX got a pretty sweet deal.

Hyunsoo Rim

So, we finally have a TikTok US deal, as President Trump signed an executive order to push forward an agreement requiring ByteDance to divest TikTok’s US operations.

But rather than settling every question, the price tag is raising more of them, with some analysts calling it “the most undervalued tech acquisition of the decade” or a “daylight robbery.”

The deal would create a new US-based joint venture, majority-owned by American investors. Oracle, Silver Lake, and the Abu Dhabi-based investment firm MGX are slated to hold 45% of the company — split roughly 15% each — according to CNBC. Meanwhile, ByteDance’s stake will be capped at 19.9% to comply with national security rules, with the remaining 35% in the hands of new investors and existing ByteDance backers, including General Atlantic, Susquehanna, and Sequoia.

So, what is the world’s most addictive app, which counts more than 180 million active users in the US, worth? Some $14 billion, per Vice President JD Vance — far below earlier projections of $40 billion to $50 billion.

Though not an apples-to-apples comparison — as these other sites have global user bases — TikTok US would be by far the cheapest among its peers, whose latest valuations all easily top $14 billion.

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The discount stands out even more when measured against sales: Snap trades at 2.5x, Pinterest at 5.9x, and Reddit at 25.3x their trailing 12-month revenues, while TikTok US is priced at roughly 1x its estimated annual US revenues of $10 billion to $20 billion.

Thursday’s order gives 120 days to close — the fifth deadline extension since the divest-or-ban law took effect — now putting it at January 2026. Trump said he had received Chinese President Xi Jinping’s personal approval, though Beijing has yet to publicly confirm.

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Netflix is down amid reports it’s leading the Warner Bros. bidding war as Paramount cries foul

Netflix’s charm offensive appears to be working.

Netflix is reportedly emerging as the leader in the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery after second-round bids this week, edging out entertainment juggernaut rivals Comcast and Paramount Skydance.

Investors don’t appear psyched by the streaming leader’s turn of fortune: the stock is down on Thursday morning, a day after closing down nearly 5% following reports that scooping up HBO Max wouldn’t necessarily result in a big market share boost.

Paramount, which has reportedly made five bids for Warner Bros. Discovery, doesn’t love the current state of play, either. The company sent WBD a letter questioning the “fairness and adequacy” of the process, highlighting reports that WBD’s board favors Netflix and is resisting Paramount.

Any offer would be subject to regulatory approval — a fact that may have weighed against Netflix’s offer given that cofounder Reed Hastings’ politics are vocally to the left, very much at odds with the current regulatory regime. Paramount seems confident in its ability to get approval, reportedly boosting its breakup fee to $5 billion should its potential acquisition fall apart in the regulatory process.

Investors don’t appear psyched by the streaming leader’s turn of fortune: the stock is down on Thursday morning, a day after closing down nearly 5% following reports that scooping up HBO Max wouldn’t necessarily result in a big market share boost.

Paramount, which has reportedly made five bids for Warner Bros. Discovery, doesn’t love the current state of play, either. The company sent WBD a letter questioning the “fairness and adequacy” of the process, highlighting reports that WBD’s board favors Netflix and is resisting Paramount.

Any offer would be subject to regulatory approval — a fact that may have weighed against Netflix’s offer given that cofounder Reed Hastings’ politics are vocally to the left, very much at odds with the current regulatory regime. Paramount seems confident in its ability to get approval, reportedly boosting its breakup fee to $5 billion should its potential acquisition fall apart in the regulatory process.

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Delta says the government shutdown will cost it $200 million in Q4

The 43-day government shutdown that ended last month will result in a $200 million ding for Delta Air Lines, the airline said in a filing on Wednesday.

That’s about $100,000 per shutdown-related canceled flight. (Delta previously said it canceled more than 2,000 flights due to FAA flight reductions.) When the company reports its fourth-quarter earnings, the shutdown will lop off about $0.25 per share.

Delta initially stayed calm about the shutdown, with CEO Ed Bastian stating in early October that the company was running smoothly and hadn’t seen any impacts at all. One historically long shutdown later, Delta wasn’t able to remain untouched.

The skies have since cleared, though, and Delta’s filing states that booking growth has “returned to initial expectations following a temporary softening in November.”

Delta’s shares were up over 2% as of Wednesday’s market open.

Delta initially stayed calm about the shutdown, with CEO Ed Bastian stating in early October that the company was running smoothly and hadn’t seen any impacts at all. One historically long shutdown later, Delta wasn’t able to remain untouched.

The skies have since cleared, though, and Delta’s filing states that booking growth has “returned to initial expectations following a temporary softening in November.”

Delta’s shares were up over 2% as of Wednesday’s market open.

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