Potential buyer talks about moving Tik Tok to South Dakota
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — When South Dakota's Governor says he supports bringing the Tik Tok headquarters to South Dakota, it's bound to get some attention. Tik Tok is one of the world's most popular social media platforms. It allows users to share and create videos. An estimated 150 million American downloaded the app on their devices.
But Tik Tok has a problem in the eyes of the American government, it is owned by a Chinese company. Lawmakers, like South Dakota's John Thune have long alleged that Tik Tok could be used to collect information or spy on Americans.
'The parent company of TikTok is a company called ByteDance, and they are a wholly owned subsidiary of the CCP, the Chinese Communist Party,' Thune told us in February. 'Which any company in that country operating, if the government asks them for information they have to turn over.'
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So why would South Dakota want Tik Tok to relocate here? The whole idea revolves around a Wyoming businessman by the name of Reid Rasner.Rasner gained attention when he challenged U.S. Senator John Barrasso in Wyoming's republican primary last year. He lost. But Rasner's name surfaced again when he announced he had put together a bid to buy Tik Tok and sever the Chinese connection.
South Dakota Governor Rhoden says the Rasner group contacted him for a meeting to discuss the location of the headquarters in the event their bid is accepted. Rhoden says the state will explore bringing the company to South Dakota.
However, it appears Rasner also has designs for his home state of Wyoming.
On February 20th Rasner told the Cowboy State Daily, an all digital news outlet covering news in Wyoming, 'We're going to bring TikTok's headquarters to Wyoming. We're going to tap our energy and create thousands of high-paying jobs.'
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In a post yesterday, the Rasner Media website says 'While no final decision has been made on operational locations, Rasner Media has committed to ensuring South Dakota remains a key partner in its mission to protect American digital platforms, create high-tech jobs, and chart a secure future for TikTok.'
The Wyoming businessman has to outbid some of the largest and most powerful companies in the U.S. who have also expressed an interest in purchasing Tik Tok. They include Blackstone, the world largest investment firm, Computer Giant Oracle, and Amazon to name a few. And that's of the Chinese company is willing to be sold.
A spokesperson for ByteDance confirmed in a statement that the company has been discussing a 'potential solution' with the U.S. government but noted that an 'agreement has not been executed.' TikTok, currently has headquarters in Singapore and Los Angeles.
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