Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Says Failed TikTok Deal 'Strangest Thing I've Worked On' 1q636a Technology News

“First of all, TikTok came to us. We didn't go to TikTok," Nadella said. 115z5z

By Reuters | Updated: 28 September 2021 09:57 IST

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Says Failed TikTok Deal 'Strangest Thing I've Worked On'

Satya Nadella said he has no idea whether the US is still pushing for a deal under President Joe Biden 3y2o21

Highlights

Trump's divestment push ended by the time he left office in January
Nadella expressed for government regulation of crypto rules
Biden istration said it is reviewing the national security concerns

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Microsoft's near-acquisition of social media app TikTok last year was the "strangest thing I've ever worked on," Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella said on Monday.

Microsoft in August 2020 began talks on the proposed acquisition but the deal collapsed by September.

Trump's divestment push ended by the time he left office in January and no potential suitor ending up acquiring TikTok.

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Speaking at the Code Conference in Beverly Hills, California, Nadella said he was looking forward to bringing Microsoft's security, child safety, and cloud expertise to TikTok.

"It's unbelievable," Nadella said of the experience during an on-stage interview. "I learned so many things about so much and so many people. First of all, TikTok came to us. We didn't go to TikTok."

"TikTok was caught in between a lot of things happening across two capitals," Nadella continued. "President Trump had a particular point of view of what he was trying to get done there, and then it just dropped off. The [US government] had a particular set of requirements and then it just disappeared."

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Nadella said what attracted ByteDance CEO LinkedIn.

ByteDance did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Nadella said he has no idea whether the US is still pushing for a deal under President Joe Biden. The Biden istration has said it is reviewing the national security concerns.

"At this point, I'm happy with what I have," Nadella said.

He also expressed for greater government regulation of cryptocurrency rules, which could stifle ransomware attacks since the ransoms often flow through opaque systems.

This week on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast, we discuss the Surface Pro 8, Go 3, Duo 2, and Laptop Studio — as Microsoft sets a vision for Windows 11 hardware. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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