Beijing Throws TikTok a Curveball, the Zoom Boom

The Chinese government’s decision to require export controls for certain types of artificial intelligence technology, making official approval necessary for a sale of any part of TikTok to a U.S. company, is a reminder of how it can complicate life even for successful Chinese tech giants.

The decision throws the timeline of a TikTok sale into disarray. Beijing’s order will require TikTok to wait 30 days for export approval once a deal is reached, delaying when the sale could be completed even as TikTok is under time pressure from the Trump administration to get one done.