Eyes on SXSW as TikTok US ban deadline starts to loom

There is now less than a month until the extension on a US ban on TikTok is meant to come due. While President Donald Trump has signaled he'd consider extending the deadline on the ban, all eyes will be on South by Southwest, this week, with potential bidders taking the stage at the major media and tech conference.

Go Deeper: The Information reports that Billionaire Frank McCourt and “Shark Tank” investor Kevin O’Leary are presenting on stage on Friday in order to discuss their bid to buy the short-form video app from Chinese owner ByteDance.

Axios reported last week that potential suitors have been frustrated by their inability to get under TikTok's hood, in terms of both finances and technology.

What they are saying: TikTok's owners ByteDance have remained silent about whether they would sell, although in the past they have ruled it out. Frank McCourt's bid is definitely the most high-profile with the billionaire hosting TikTok creators at his house last year in order to get a sense of whether the bid was "on the right track."

Last week Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian joined the bid as a strategic advisor.

Update March 11: The Guardian reports President Trump has said that there are four potential bidders for TikTok.

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