Does Walmart Own TikTok?
TikTok, the popular short-form video platform, has become one of the most downloaded apps in the world. It’s no wonder that many people are asking if Walmart owns TikTok.
The answer is no; Walmart does not own TikTok. The social media app is owned by Beijing-based startup ByteDance.
ByteDance was founded in 2012 and has experienced tremendous growth since then, thanks to its popular apps including TikTok and Douyin. In 2018, ByteDance acquired Musical.ly, which merged with TikTok in August 2018 to become the popular app it is today.
Walmart had considered investing in the company back in 2018, but ultimately decided not to pursue it any further due to concerns about potential political and regulatory issues related to China. Other U.S.-based companies such as Microsoft and Oracle were also considering investing in ByteDance earlier this year, but those plans have since been abandoned due to similar concerns of Chinese intervention.
Despite Walmart not owning or investing in ByteDance, it is still involved with the company indirectly through its investments in technology startups such as Flipkart and Jet.com. These investments have allowed Walmart to stay at the forefront of emerging technologies and capitalize on their growth potentials over time.
Overall, it’s clear that Walmart does not own or invest directly into TikTok or its parent company ByteDance. While Walmart is involved with the company indirectly through its investments into other tech startups, it has chosen not to pursue any more direct involvement due to potential political and regulatory risks associated with China ownership of a U.-based social media app like TikTok.
Conclusion: It can be concluded that Walmart does not own nor invest directly into TikTok or its parent company ByteDance due to potential political and regulatory risks associated with China ownership of a U.-based social media app like TikTok