TikTok has reached a deal to cede a substantial portion of its U.S. operation to a group of American investors, thus ending a years-long tussle in which the federal government has sought to force the platform to do just that.
The new partnership is described as a “new TikTok U.S. joint venture” in an internal memo from ByteDance CEO Shou Chew, which was viewed by TechCrunch.
That arrangement will see major American investors take over significant control of the U.S.-based business. The newly formed investor group includes cloud giant Oracle, the tech-focused private equity firm Silverlake, and MGX, an Abu Dhabi-based investment firm focused on AI. Together, those companies will own 45% of the U.S. operation, while ByteDance retains a nearly 20% share, the memo states. The new entity formed by this partnership has been dubbed “TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC.”
That new entity will be responsible for overseeing the app, including data protection, algorithm security, content moderation, and software assurance, the memo states. “A trusted security partner will be responsible for auditing and validating compliance with the agreed upon National Security Terms, and Oracle will be the trusted security partner upon completion of the transaction,” the document says.
The closing date for the deal is listed as January 22, 2026. The news was originally reported by Axios.
Much of the deal, as it has been described in the memo, parallels the language in an executive order signed by President Trump in September. That memo similarly approved the sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations to an American investor group. CNBC previously reported that Oracle, Silverlake, and MGX would be the primary investors in the deal. Until now, ByteDance had not divulged details of such a deal, except to say that it would abide by U.S. law to ensure that TikTok remained available to U.S. users.
The U.S. government has long sought to cleave TikTok’s U.S.-based business away from its Chinese parent company, espousing national security concerns as the rationale.
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![The Animation Industry Still Hopes for Hollywood’s Full Respect
Years after Guillermo del Toro declared “animation is cinema” at the Oscars, the industry remains a redheaded stepchild of Hollywood. A recent Variety report with several professionals in the industry discuss how animation’s perceived in the west. At the same time it’s viewed as a “babysitter” medium mainly meant for entertaining kids, it’s been a reliable moneymaker for decades. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is currently 2026’s only movie to make over billion, while Inside Out 2 and Zootopia 2 have been big hits for Disney. But as one animator told the outlet, the success has also been “frustrating” to see: a studio will brag about an animated film’s financial and awards success, then “turn to people who’ve worked here forever and say, ‘We don’t need you anymore.’” While Pixar president Jim Morris rightfully noted animation’s “propping up a lot of studios right now,” chief creative officer Pete Docter had a different view. He said animation can’t not be considered “films for kids” when most of said films are “funny, goofy, [and] a little bit like babysitter material. We could step our game up [as an industry].” However, Docter doesn’t expound on what “stepping up” would entail, and it’s worth acknowledging Pixar’s backtracking on more specific themes and perspectives in recent years—and his views on such walk backs. Alternatively, Laika’s solution is making people see their movies as simply movies. Chief marketing officer David Burke told Variety the Wildwood studio doesn’t actively sell their films as animated, instead trusting “[our] audience to find our movies, irrespective of the medium. They defy categorization.” Granted, this may also be due to the studio having a number of live-action projects in development, but Burke’s general point stands: to avoid stigma, animated movies can (and should) be promoted like they’re just regular movies.
For those interested in animation, a true sign of the medium’s respect would be if an animated movie won “Best Feature” at the Oscars. That’s a tall order, and an idea professionals are split on. Morris wants animation employees to be eligible come Oscar voting time, while Jorge Gutiérrez believes live-action movies have a natural edge and “too many Academy members” automatically treat animated fare as something to endure.
You can read the full story here for more insight on what Hollywood’s animation arm is thinking. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Animation #Industry #Hopes #Hollywoods #Full #RespectAnimation,disney,Pixar,The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,Zootopia 2](https://i1.wp.com/gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2026/05/Super-Mario-Galaxy-flying-1280x853.jpg?ssl=1 "The Animation Industry Still Hopes for Hollywood’s Full Respect
Years after Guillermo del Toro declared “animation is cinema” at the Oscars, the industry remains a redheaded stepchild of Hollywood. A recent Variety report with several professionals in the industry discuss how animation’s perceived in the west. At the same time it’s viewed as a “babysitter” medium mainly meant for entertaining kids, it’s been a reliable moneymaker for decades. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is currently 2026’s only movie to make over billion, while Inside Out 2 and Zootopia 2 have been big hits for Disney. But as one animator told the outlet, the success has also been “frustrating” to see: a studio will brag about an animated film’s financial and awards success, then “turn to people who’ve worked here forever and say, ‘We don’t need you anymore.’” While Pixar president Jim Morris rightfully noted animation’s “propping up a lot of studios right now,” chief creative officer Pete Docter had a different view. He said animation can’t not be considered “films for kids” when most of said films are “funny, goofy, [and] a little bit like babysitter material. We could step our game up [as an industry].” However, Docter doesn’t expound on what “stepping up” would entail, and it’s worth acknowledging Pixar’s backtracking on more specific themes and perspectives in recent years—and his views on such walk backs. Alternatively, Laika’s solution is making people see their movies as simply movies. Chief marketing officer David Burke told Variety the Wildwood studio doesn’t actively sell their films as animated, instead trusting “[our] audience to find our movies, irrespective of the medium. They defy categorization.” Granted, this may also be due to the studio having a number of live-action projects in development, but Burke’s general point stands: to avoid stigma, animated movies can (and should) be promoted like they’re just regular movies.
For those interested in animation, a true sign of the medium’s respect would be if an animated movie won “Best Feature” at the Oscars. That’s a tall order, and an idea professionals are split on. Morris wants animation employees to be eligible come Oscar voting time, while Jorge Gutiérrez believes live-action movies have a natural edge and “too many Academy members” automatically treat animated fare as something to endure.
You can read the full story here for more insight on what Hollywood’s animation arm is thinking. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Animation #Industry #Hopes #Hollywoods #Full #RespectAnimation,disney,Pixar,The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,Zootopia 2")
![The Animation Industry Still Hopes for Hollywood’s Full Respect
Years after Guillermo del Toro declared “animation is cinema” at the Oscars, the industry remains a redheaded stepchild of Hollywood. A recent Variety report with several professionals in the industry discuss how animation’s perceived in the west. At the same time it’s viewed as a “babysitter” medium mainly meant for entertaining kids, it’s been a reliable moneymaker for decades. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is currently 2026’s only movie to make over $1 billion, while Inside Out 2 and Zootopia 2 have been big hits for Disney. But as one animator told the outlet, the success has also been “frustrating” to see: a studio will brag about an animated film’s financial and awards success, then “turn to people who’ve worked here forever and say, ‘We don’t need you anymore.’” While Pixar president Jim Morris rightfully noted animation’s “propping up a lot of studios right now,” chief creative officer Pete Docter had a different view. He said animation can’t not be considered “films for kids” when most of said films are “funny, goofy, [and] a little bit like babysitter material. We could step our game up [as an industry].” However, Docter doesn’t expound on what “stepping up” would entail, and it’s worth acknowledging Pixar’s backtracking on more specific themes and perspectives in recent years—and his views on such walk backs. Alternatively, Laika’s solution is making people see their movies as simply movies. Chief marketing officer David Burke told Variety the Wildwood studio doesn’t actively sell their films as animated, instead trusting “[our] audience to find our movies, irrespective of the medium. They defy categorization.” Granted, this may also be due to the studio having a number of live-action projects in development, but Burke’s general point stands: to avoid stigma, animated movies can (and should) be promoted like they’re just regular movies.
For those interested in animation, a true sign of the medium’s respect would be if an animated movie won “Best Feature” at the Oscars. That’s a tall order, and an idea professionals are split on. Morris wants animation employees to be eligible come Oscar voting time, while Jorge Gutiérrez believes live-action movies have a natural edge and “too many Academy members” automatically treat animated fare as something to endure.
You can read the full story here for more insight on what Hollywood’s animation arm is thinking. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Animation #Industry #Hopes #Hollywoods #Full #RespectAnimation,disney,Pixar,The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,Zootopia 2](https://gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2026/05/Super-Mario-Galaxy-flying-1280x853.jpg "The Animation Industry Still Hopes for Hollywood’s Full Respect
Years after Guillermo del Toro declared “animation is cinema” at the Oscars, the industry remains a redheaded stepchild of Hollywood. A recent Variety report with several professionals in the industry discuss how animation’s perceived in the west. At the same time it’s viewed as a “babysitter” medium mainly meant for entertaining kids, it’s been a reliable moneymaker for decades. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is currently 2026’s only movie to make over $1 billion, while Inside Out 2 and Zootopia 2 have been big hits for Disney. But as one animator told the outlet, the success has also been “frustrating” to see: a studio will brag about an animated film’s financial and awards success, then “turn to people who’ve worked here forever and say, ‘We don’t need you anymore.’” While Pixar president Jim Morris rightfully noted animation’s “propping up a lot of studios right now,” chief creative officer Pete Docter had a different view. He said animation can’t not be considered “films for kids” when most of said films are “funny, goofy, [and] a little bit like babysitter material. We could step our game up [as an industry].” However, Docter doesn’t expound on what “stepping up” would entail, and it’s worth acknowledging Pixar’s backtracking on more specific themes and perspectives in recent years—and his views on such walk backs. Alternatively, Laika’s solution is making people see their movies as simply movies. Chief marketing officer David Burke told Variety the Wildwood studio doesn’t actively sell their films as animated, instead trusting “[our] audience to find our movies, irrespective of the medium. They defy categorization.” Granted, this may also be due to the studio having a number of live-action projects in development, but Burke’s general point stands: to avoid stigma, animated movies can (and should) be promoted like they’re just regular movies.
For those interested in animation, a true sign of the medium’s respect would be if an animated movie won “Best Feature” at the Oscars. That’s a tall order, and an idea professionals are split on. Morris wants animation employees to be eligible come Oscar voting time, while Jorge Gutiérrez believes live-action movies have a natural edge and “too many Academy members” automatically treat animated fare as something to endure.
You can read the full story here for more insight on what Hollywood’s animation arm is thinking. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Animation #Industry #Hopes #Hollywoods #Full #RespectAnimation,disney,Pixar,The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,Zootopia 2")
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