Abu Dhabi’s MGX Joins Investor Group Buying TikTok’s U.S. Business

TikTok has signed a deal to sell its U.S. operations to a new investor group that includes Abu Dhabi–backed investment firm MGX, according to Axios.

The transaction creates a new U.S.-based joint venture with majority American ownership, a structure designed to comply with U.S. legislation that would otherwise have forced TikTok to shut down domestically. ByteDance will retain a minority stake, while control shifts to a board dominated by U.S. and allied investors.

MGX, an Abu Dhabi–based tech and AI-focused investment platform, joins partners such as Oracle and Silver Lake in the deal. The structure is intended to ringfence U.S. user data, oversight of the recommendation algorithm, and content moderation from Chinese ownership concerns.

The agreement brings an end to a multi-year standoff between TikTok and U.S. regulators that included threats of bans, court challenges, and repeated deadline extensions. If completed as planned, TikTok will continue operating in the U.S. under the new ownership framework.

The deal also highlights the growing role of Gulf capital in major global tech transactions, particularly where geopolitical considerations intersect with strategic technology assets.