Operational Excellence (OPEX) Daily Briefing – Monday, December 22, 2025: TikTok Reaches Deal to Restructure U.S. Operations with Oracle and Silver Lake.
Điểm Tin Operational Excellence (OPEX) Mỗi Ngày – Thứ Hai, Ngày 22/12/2025: TikTok Đạt Thỏa Thuận Tái Cấu Trúc Hoạt Động Tại Mỹ Với Oracle Và Silver Lake.
Welcome to my unique weekday article for the paid subscriber-only edition.
Operational Excellence (OPEX) Daily Briefing – issued on weekdays (Monday to Friday).
Điểm tin Operational Excellence (OPEX) hằng ngày (phát hành các ngày thứ Hai đến thứ Sáu).
This is the bilingual post in English and Vietnamese. Vietnamese is below.
Đây là bài viết song ngữ Anh-Việt. Tiếng Việt ở bên dưới.
English
PART 1 – OFFICIAL INFORMATION
In December 2025, TikTok officially signed a strategic agreement with a group of U.S.-based investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX, aimed at restructuring TikTok’s operations in the United States market. This agreement marks a major turning point after many years of legal and political uncertainty surrounding the future of the social media platform in the U.S.
According to the disclosed information, the agreement will result in the establishment of a new legal entity in the United States, responsible for operating TikTok exclusively for U.S. users. Under this new structure, U.S. investors will hold controlling authority, particularly at the level of governance and strategic control, while TikTok (its parent company ByteDance) will reduce its direct role in managing U.S. operations. This is viewed as a compromise solution designed to meet the increasingly stringent requirements of the U.S. government regarding national security and user data protection.
A key element of the agreement is that U.S. user data will be stored entirely within U.S. territory, with Oracle playing a central role in the technology infrastructure and data storage. This measure is intended to address the long-standing concerns of U.S. authorities regarding foreign access to user data, which has been the core focus of multiple investigations and policy debates in recent years.
From a governance perspective, the new U.S. entity will have a Board of Directors controlled by the U.S. side, with the majority of board members being U.S. citizens and directly accountable under U.S. laws and regulations. This structure is designed to ensure that operational decisions, data management, and business strategy in the United States are no longer dependent on management centers outside the U.S.
The current agreement is regarded as a substantive resolution following years of negotiations, adjustments, and delays. Prior to this, TikTok repeatedly faced the risk of being banned or forced to divest from the U.S. market, particularly amid heightened technological and geopolitical tensions between the United States and China. The signing of this agreement significantly reduces the risk of operational disruption and establishes a clearer legal framework for TikTok’s long-term presence in the United States.
According to the released information, the agreement is expected to be completed on January 22, 2026, subject to the fulfillment of all required legal conditions and regulatory approvals. During the transition period, TikTok will continue operating normally in the U.S., while organizational, personnel, and infrastructure preparations are being implemented in parallel to ensure a smooth and continuous transition.
For the U.S. investors, participation in this joint venture is not only financially significant, but also reflects the growing role of U.S. technology and investment firms in shaping the operational structures of global digital platforms. For Oracle, this represents a substantial expansion in data infrastructure and large-scale technology services. For Silver Lake and MGX, the agreement enables direct participation in one of the largest social media platforms in the U.S. market.
For TikTok, the agreement helps bring an end to a prolonged state of uncertainty, in which its U.S. operations were continuously exposed to the risk of sudden regulatory intervention. Despite having to accept reduced direct control, TikTok retains its presence in the world’s largest and most critical market, while avoiding the scenario of being completely excluded from the U.S. digital ecosystem.
The agreement between TikTok and the group of U.S. investors represents a new model of compromise between global technology companies and national data sovereignty requirements. This is not a simple acquisition or sale, but rather a redesigned operating structure, reflecting a profound shift in how cross-border technology platforms must adapt to an increasingly complex legal, political, and security environment.
