Twitter, TikTok have had preliminary talks about merger: Report

Twitter Inc. has held early talks about a potential combination with TikTok, the Chinese-owned video-sharing app that the Trump administration has declared a national-security threat, Dow Jones reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

It’s unclear whether Twitter will pursue a deal, which would involve TikTok’s U.S. operations, the people said. Because Twitter is much smaller, the San Francisco-based social media company has reasoned it probably wouldn’t face the same level of antitrust scrutiny as Microsoft Corp. or other potential bidders, people familiar with the discussions told Dow Jones.

Microsoft has been negotiating for weeks with TikTok’s owner, Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd., and is considered the front-runner for any possible deal, according to the people. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella spoke with President Donald Trump about the matter a week ago.