TikTok has until this Saturday, April 5th to find a US buyer, or risk another ban that could heavily impact the businesses that rely on the platform for their marketing strategies.
This week, Donald Trump is set to meet with potential buyers ahead of the Saturday deadline. The president has expressed optimistic sentiments about the large amounts of interest in the app and is confident that a deal can be reached.
TikTok is used by 7 million US businesses to engage with consumers, by running creative campaigns and even selling products directly through the app’s social commerce platform, TikTok Shop. Should TikTok fail to find a buyer, businesses could see a big change in their ability to reach their target audience.
TikTok’s Fate Remains In Doubt
TikTok, a significant revenue stream for many small businesses, has until this weekend to find a US buyer or risk a permanent ban in the US.
There have long been concerns within the US government about how TikTok’s Chinese-based owners could use US user data if prompted by the Chinese government. Last year, President Biden gave TikTok’s owners, ByteDance, one year to sell the app’s US operations. When it failed to do so, a TikTok US ban came into effect in January 2025.
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The ban was lifted after just 14 hours following the return of President Donald Trump to the White House, who extended the amount of time ByteDance had to find a new buyer. He has since extended the task to Vice President JD Vance, with the final deadline for the app being and this Saturday, April 5th.
Trump and Vance to Meet With Potential TikTok Buyers
With TikTok’s continuous increase in numbers and various rumors about people interested in the app, President Trump appears confident that TikTok will find a buyer before the Saturday deadline. This Wednesday marks another opportunity for Trump and Vance to meet with and strike a deal with a US buyer.
Failure to find a buyer could see the app undergo a more permanent ban than the one it endured earlier this year. New US users would be unable to download the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, and existing users may even have to use a VPN to access TikTok, which is not guaranteed and comes with its own security risks.
A potential ban could also see TikTok’s technology partners, including Apple, Google, and Oracle, receive hefty fines for associating with the app.
What Does a TikTok Ban Mean for Businesses?
US businesses use TikTok to reach the estimated 136 million Americans who regularly use the app in 2025. Through the app’s personalized algorithm, businesses are able to reach consumers they would otherwise not have access to, and nearly five million jobs benefited from a TikTok business acount in 2024.
The potential drawbacks for businesses’ marketing strategies without TikTok could be major. Not only does TikTok give brands the opportunity to build a loyal consumer base, but its social commerce platform, TikTok Shop, allows smaller businesses with a limited budget to sell products and generate revenue.
Should a TikTok ban come into full effect once again, businesses may turn to other TikTok alternatives, such as Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts for their marketing purposes. As a TikTok ban has become more of a reality, apps such as RedNote have also seen an increase in popularity.
