Apple Shoots Down Report About It Pursuing Acquisition Of Popular App TikTok

Apple has debunked a recent report that it was among the companies attempting to acquire the popular video-sharing company, TikTok. The report came from Axios, which cited “multiple sources” outside of the company.

In response, Apple told Axios and other outlets that the report was inaccurate and that it had no interest in purchasing TikTok. This is largely unsurprising, as even the original report noted the video-sharing company would make a strange fit for Apple due to its cross-platform nature, political baggage, and focus on targeted advertising, a practice the tech giant has dismissed.

“But if anyone has the cash on hand...” the original report said, attempting to find any rationale for Apple’s reported interest.

Microsoft has been the primary suitor pursuing TikTok amidst the company’s ownership woes, which it confirmed Sunday in a blog post.

President Donald Trump has threatened that the app must be sold by Beijing-based ByteDance to an American company by Sept. 15 or risk being shut down.

“I don’t mind whether it’s Microsoft or someone else, a big company, a secure company, a very American company buys it,” Trump said on Monday. “It’ll close down on Sept. 15 unless Microsoft or somebody else is able to buy it and work out a deal, an appropriate deal, so the Treasury of the United States gets a lot of money.”

Microsoft has in the past pursued the potential acquisitions of Facebook and YouTube -- two similarly video-oriented social platforms. With TikTok, Microsoft could fill niches in the online ecosystem that has largely eluded it up to now.