Over in the US, some 170 million American users of Tiktok saw their app go dark, when the app was briefly taken offline just before a law requiring its Chinese owner ByteDance to either sell it on national security grounds or face a ban took effect on 19th January.

Soon after, President Donald Trump signed an executive order seeking to delay the enforcement of the law by 75 days, and has since revealed that Microsoft is in discussions to acquire TikTok and that he would like to see a "bidding war" over the sale of the social media app.

Will TikTok’s gamble pay off as America’s biggest firms eyeball a deal, and will we see a bidding war play out?

On this episode of Morning Shot, Bhagyashree Garekar, US Bureau Chief at The Straits Times shares her insights.

Presented by: Audrey Siek
Produced by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg)
Edited by: Dan Koh