TikTok ban deadline looms in US amid last-minute takeover bids

Deadline for company to divest from Chinese ownership nears as Trump mulls over potential bids from US firms

Once again, the future of TikTok in the US is at stake. After a years-long tussle over whether or not to ban the app in the country, the deadline for the company to divest or sell its assets to a non-Chinese owner is up again on 5 April. Donald Trump has said his administration is very close" to a deal for the app.

A handful of potential buyers have said they're interested in the tremendously popular social media app and various news reports have floated other types of deals, including an investment from the Trump-friendly venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz or a bid from Amazon. The president signed an executive order in January to postpone a ban-or-divest deadline until April; earlier this week he said he would like to see TikTok remain alive". But the path forward for TikTok, and its 170 million US users, remains murky.