Overview

• Leaked DOJ letters from Pam Bondi and James McHenry confirm that major service providers such as Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Google and Oracle face no penalties for supplying TikTok in the United States.
• ByteDance is engineering a technically independent, US-only version of its platform called M2 complete with separate hosting and enhanced privacy standards to satisfy regulatory demands.
• The M2 app is scheduled to launch on September 5, aligning with the mid-September deadline for TikTok’s forced sale or ban under the new law.
• President Trump has granted multiple extensions for the divestiture deadline and indicated that a framework agreement with China is near.
• Potential investors in the US spin-off include Amazon, Perplexity, a US government fund and Oracle, with ByteDance expected to retain a minority stake.