Steve Mnuchin seeks AI partner to rebuild TikTok’s algorithm in takeover bid: sources
NY Post
Steve Mnuchin is angling to partner with an AI firm that can quickly rebuild TikTok’s algorithm as he looks to orchestrate a blockbuster bid to acquire the China-owned app, The Post has learned.
The former Treasury secretary first revealed last month that he was exploring a bid to buy TikTok after House lawmakers voted to pass a bill requiring its Beijing-based parent ByteDance to divest within six months or face a total US ban.
Now, insiders say Mnuchin is pitching a plan to rebuild TikTok’s algorithm in the US as the only likely way to satisfy Congressional concerns that the app poses a national security risk, as well as China’s strict export laws that could block a sale.
The Senate is expected to hold hearings on the House bill later this year, although no vote has yet been scheduled.
Mnuchin believes that any effort to rebuild TikTok’s sophisticated algorithm would require a partner with access to advanced AI capabilities and expertise, the sources said. Given the size and complexity of the undertaking, the ex-Trump Cabinet member could partner with more than one tech firm, the sources added.
A spokesperson for Mnuchin declined to comment. TikTok did not return a request for comment.
