Inside the TikTok U.S. Deal: 80%+ American Ownership, 6 of 7 Board Seats Held by U.S. Directors

A proposed restructuring of TikTok’s U.S. operations would place the platform under majority American control, pairing ownership with tighter governance. Under the plan, U.S. firms—led by Oracle alongside investment powerhouses Andreessen Horowitz and Silver Lake Management—would collectively hold more than 80% of the U.S. entity. Governance would also tilt decisively toward the United States: six of seven board seats would be occupied by American directors, with a single remaining seat for a non-U.S. member.

Ownership and board control are designed to address longstanding concerns about data security, operational independence, and national security risk. Oracle’s role is expected to center on infrastructure, compliance, and oversight—particularly around data storage and access pathways—while experienced venture and private-equity stakeholders provide institutional discipline and investor scrutiny. The supermajority equity stake, combined with an American-dominated board, would give U.S. stakeholders the practical ability to set strategy, appoint leadership, and enforce safeguards.

For users and creators, the day-to-day app experience may remain familiar, but changes behind the scenes could be significant. Expect more stringent data governance, clearer audit trails, and hardened technical boundaries between U.S. user information and any foreign access. For advertisers, a more predictable regulatory posture could reduce brand-safety worries and support steadier spending—especially if the new structure delivers transparent reporting and third-party audits.

Regulators and lawmakers will likely scrutinize two questions above all: whether the governance design truly prevents undue foreign influence, and whether data protections are not only promised but technically enforceable. In that light, the combination of majority U.S. equity and a U.S.-dominated board is intended to make policy reversals difficult and accountability clear.

While details such as compliance milestones, audit cadence, and escalation mechanisms will determine real-world outcomes, the contours are clear: an American-led cap table, an American-controlled board, and a formal role for a U.S. technology steward. If implemented as described, the structure would mark one of the most consequential corporate governance reworks in the social-media era—aimed at turning political risk into operational certainty.