TikTok Suitor Bobby Kotick Waits for Trump

Bobby Kotick. Photo by Getty.

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Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick remains interested in buying TikTok, said people familiar with Kotick’s thinking, but he is expected to wait until Donald Trump takes office before moving ahead with an offer.

Barring a last minute court intervention, TikTok has until Jan. 19 to sever its ties with its Chinese parent ByteDance or be banned, under a law passed earlier this year. Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20 and could lift the ban for 90 days according to the law. Kotick—whose interest in buying TikTok was initially reported in March—appears to be betting that TikTok and its Chinese parent ByteDance might be open to discussions at that point. He hasn’t yet presented any offer to ByteDance’s shareholders, said two other people with knowledge of the company’s internal deliberations.