Ex-Google CEO Schmidt Says He Considered Buying TikTok
- Ex-Google CEO says he’d rather see app regulated, not banned
- TikTok is more like TV than social media, Schmidt says
Eric Schmidt
Photographer: Eva Marie Uzcategui/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Eric Schmidt, the former chief executive officer of Google, said he had explored a possible purchase of TikTok but has moved on from the idea of trying to acquire the popular video-sharing app from its Chinese owners.
A new federal law requires TikTok to be sold by its parent, ByteDance Ltd., within a year or face a ban in the US. Schmidt, who ran Alphabet Inc.’s Google for over a decade, confirmed on Tuesday that he at one point considered purchasing the platform — though he added that it’s no longer on the table.