Bros are gonna let us comment on an excel sheet" - Netizens react as Trump says Microsoft is in talks to acquire TikTok

President Donald Trump claimed Microsoft was in talks to acquire TikTok. He announced the news in a press interview on Monday, January 27, 2024, adding that he would like to see a bidding war over the app.

The social media platform briefly went offline on January 19 after a law came into effect that required its China-based parent company, ByteDance, to divest from TikTok or face a ban. The law cited national security issues as a reason.

As the news went viral, internet users were quick to react. One joked:

"bros are gonna let us comment on an excel sheet."

A comment reacting to the news (Image via X/ @PopBase)

Many expressed their skepticism, wondering if this would be a bad move. Here are some comments seen on X:

"I heard that DeepSeek is going to acquire Microsoft," one joked.

"They’re gonna charge a subscription fee to use that app now, we are doomed," another remarked.

"powerpoints on tiktok oh no," a peson quipped.

Others criticized Microsoft for taking over TikTok, stating it would allegedly become a "full-time propaganda machine."

"Oh great it’s not ok for Tik Tok to own but it’s ok for Microsoft a global giant to instead yea makes sense," one commented.

"They will ruin it like they ruin everything," another added.

"another app soon to be used as a full-time propaganda machine," a user noted.

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This is not the first time Microsoft is reportedly in talks with Trump to purchase TikTok

In April 2024, former president Biden signed a law (Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act) that barred third-party services like Google Play or the App Store from hosting applications controlled by foreign adversaries like China or Russia.

Essentially, if ByteDance didn't divest, TikTok would be banned in the U.S. starting January 19.

Since then, pundits and netizens have discussed ways to keep the platform, including someone buying it. This included Tesla founder Elon Musk and Shark Tank investor Kevin O'Leary.

After Donald Trump was sworn in as the president, he signed an executive order that delayed TikTok's ban by 75 days. During an interview with reporters on Air Force One (to Florida) on Saturday, Trump explained he was in talks with multiple people over buying the app.

At the time, he expressed that he would like Musk or Oracle Corp. Chairman Larry Ellison to buy the app.

Neither Microsoft nor TikTok (or ByteDance) has officially commented on the alleged talks.

However, this is not the first time the software company has been in talks to buy the video-sharing media platform.

Satya Nadella at the World Economic Forum in Davos (Source: Getty)

Back in 2020 (when Trump first called for the app to be banned), in an official corporate blog post, Microsoft announced that its CEO, Satya Nadella, and Trump were discussing a "potential TikTok purchase." However, the post noted that it was just "preliminary" and not an "assurance" that the company would purchase the platform.

During his interview on Air Force One, Trump asserted that he planned on making a decision about the app's future in 30 days.