Investing in TikTok isn't as straightforward as investing in other popular social media companies. The popular short-form video app is currently owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, which doesn't trade publicly on any stock exchanges. But there's a way to get a piece of the action in one of the world's fastest-growing digital media platforms. Here's what you need to know if you're interested in investing in TikTok.
Is TikTok publicly traded?
TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese tech company. However, in late 2025, the U.S. government was closing in on a deal for the sale of TikTok's U.S. operations. Technology giant Oracle (NASDAQ:ORCL), private equity firm Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi's MGX would be the main investors in the deal, holding a 45% interest in TikTok USA. ByteDance would own 19.9% of the entity while other existing investors would hold the remaining 35%.
IPO
The best ways to invest in TikTok
You can't currently invest in TikTok since it's a private company. However, a few publicly traded investment companies hold shares, which anyone can buy.
| Name and ticker | Market cap | Dividend yield | Industry |
|---|---|---|---|
| KKR (NYSE:KKR) | $115.4 billion | 0.56% | Capital Markets |
| SoftBank Group (OTC:SFTB.Y) | $177.0 billion | 0.12% | Wireless Telecommunication Services |
| Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) | $620.3 billion | 0.87% | Software |
1. KKR
NYSE: KKR
Key Data Points
KKR (KKR +0.77%) is one of the world's oldest alternative asset investment management firms. Its investments range from private equity, like ByteDance, to energy, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and hedge funds.
KKR, along with SoftBank and General Atlantic, originally invested in ByteDance in 2018. At the time, the Chinese company was valued at $75 billion. At the end of 2020, it added to its position in another funding round, valuing the company at $180 billion.
But ByteDance is just a small portion of the firm's overall portfolio. The firm has $723 billion in assets under management, including $222 billion in private equity investments.
Although KKR has a great track record of producing returns for investors, it's important to note that investing in KKR differs from investing in its portfolio. KKR is also competing with other asset management firms for investors, putting pressure on its fees.
2. SoftBank
OTC: SFTB.Y
Key Data Points
SoftBank (SFTB.Y +6.48%) is a Japanese telecom and e-commerce company that also operates a holding company and its well-known $100 billion Vision Funds. Vision Funds invests primarily in private equity companies with valuations topping $1 billion, also known as unicorns.
SoftBank bought its stake in ByteDance in 2018 in the same funding round as KKR's initial investment. SoftBank owns a massive portfolio of both public and private equity.
SoftBank's most notable holdings include Alibaba (BABA +0.56%), T-Mobile (TMUS +0.78%), and chip-designer Arm Holdings (ARM +0.58%). However, the holdings are heavily concentrated in early-stage internet and e-commerce investments, so investors aren't getting a tremendously diversified portfolio. As the tech start-up industry goes, so does SoftBank's portfolio.
3. Oracle
NYSE: ORCL
Key Data Points
Cloud computing giant Oracle (ORCL +1.52%) was closing in on a deal to become one of the main investors in TikTok USA in late 2025. The company was partnering with Silver Lake and MGX to own a combined 45% interest in that business. Additionally, Oracle would oversee the app's security operations.
Should I invest in TikTok?
TikTok is an exciting business for investors. It popularized the short-form video format, built an incredible content-recommendation algorithm, and is working on new ad technology to monetize it. But it's also a potentially high-risk investment.
Here are a few reasons why you might want to invest in TikTok if it were to ever go public:
- TikTok is an uber-popular platform for delivering short-form videos.
- It's delivering healthy user growth.
- It's increasingly monetizing this platform with new ad technology, positioning it to deliver strong revenue growth.
On the other hand, there are some risks to investing in TikTok that investors need to consider before buying shares, including:
- ByteDance is facing regulatory challenges. Many countries have banned or are considering banning TikTok, including the U.S. The Trump administration was working on a deal to facilitate the sale of a majority stake in ByteDance's U.S. operations so that TikTok could continue operating in the country and resume its distribution through app stores. The company's ties to China and potential future regulatory changes could affect the stock if it ever went public.
- The company is facing increasing competition from other technology companies, including YouTube, Meta Platforms (META +1.77%), and X.
Related investing topics
Will TikTok go public in the future?
TikTok didn't seem to be a likely candidate to go public anytime soon. In late 2025, the company's parent, ByteDance, was working on a deal to sell a majority stake in its U.S. operations to new investors, including Oracle. The technology company would take over the security of the app to prevent China from potentially spying on users. However, while this deal would enable TikTok to continue operating in the U.S., it likely won't pave the way for a potential future initial public offering (IPO).
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