The Trump administration is set to collect approximately $10 billion from the investors who acquired TikTok's U.S. operations, the Wall Street Journal reported on March 13 — an arrangement that sees the government take a direct fee for brokering a major corporate transaction.

The Deal Structure

TikTok's American business was transferred to a new entity — TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC — after the deal closed on January 22, 2026. The structure gives U.S. and international investors an 80.1% stake in the company, with ByteDance retaining a 19.9% minority position to comply with federal law.

Among the major stakeholders, Oracle holds a 15% stake valued at roughly $2 billion, matching the position held by private equity firm Silver Lake. The transaction followed years of legislative pressure, including the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA), which mandated a divestiture or ban.

An Unprecedented Arrangement

The $10 billion payment to the U.S. government has no clear parallel in American corporate history. Rather than a tax or regulatory penalty, it functions as a brokerage fee — compensation for the administration's role in structuring and enabling the sale.

The figure was confirmed by Bloomberg and Reuters, both citing the original WSJ report. TikTok had gone through at least four executive order extensions beginning January 20, 2025, as the Trump administration negotiated the deal framework.

The platform continues to operate for its approximately 170 million U.S. users under the new joint venture structure, with ByteDance's minority stake subject to ongoing regulatory oversight.