Walmart Enters The Ring To Tag-Team With Microsoft On TikTok Acquisition
Rumors of a TikTok buyout have been floating around for a while now, with Microsoft, Oracle, and Twitter all vying for a piece of the red hot social media pie. Now, Walmart is entering the ring, reportedly joining Microsoft in a potential buyout of the U.S. arm of TikTok.
However, all of this buyout talk is just starting to get flat-out weird. At first, Oracle completely came out of left field, and now Walmart follows suit. In a statement to CNBC, Walmart confirmed it is in talks with Microsoft about a potential TikTok deal. Of course, the general-store giant would also be interested in making a purchase no matter what happens with Microsoft, it seems.
A Walmart-owned TikTok, however, would not be the most bizarre thing in the world in all reality. Walmart’s goal lately seems to be going toe-to-toe with Amazon. Soon, Walmart plans to have Walmart+, which, as CNBC puts it, is a “subscription-based service [which] is the retailer’s answer to Amazon Prime, which includes original TV shows and movies.” With this goal of besting Amazon, a social media presence must be developed. Amazon has Twitch on its side, so if Walmart can have something as popular, if not more, they can one-up the most comprehensive online shopping site. Here is where the TikTok purchase comes in and starts to make more sense.
If Walmart were to really have a hand in the purchase of TikTok, we could possibly expect to see some changes too. Walmart explains that TikTok is important for advertising and e-commerce while benefitting users at the same time. It is possible, though, that they are only in it for the technology and brand recognition; but the ability to take advantage of a large platform cannot be entirely dismissed. We will have to see how, if at all, this plays out.
At the end of the day, a rumored Walmart-TikTok purchase could be interesting. If this were to happen, who knows what would become of TikTok in the future? It is a fun thought exercise on what could happen, no matter what.
