Claims that TikTok had been sold circulated after the app went dark in response to a U.S. federal ban, then returned a short time later.

With the shadow of a tumultuous ban still looming over TikTok in the United States, Meta is offering to pay a large sum of money to popular content creators on the "third party" social media app who join Facebook and Instagram.

Disappointment, denial and confusion flooded US TikTok upon hearing that Chinese owner ByteDance planned to shut off the app by Sunday.

While TikTok remains hugely popular in Brazil, Indonesia and other markets, its 170 million users in the United States are its most valuable.

When did Facebook join TikTok? Rumors that Meta bought TikTok have gone viral across social media – but are they real?

Shou Zi Chew was an intern at Facebook before he became Mark Zuckerberg’s biggest competitor as CEO of TikTok. Shou Zi Chew may be the CEO of Mark Zuckerberg’s biggest competitor, TikTok, but at the start of his career, he worked for Zuckerberg as an intern at Facebook.

A looming ban on TikTok set to take effect on Sunday presents a multibillion-dollar headache for app store operators Apple and Google.

With popular applications missing from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in the US thanks to a ban (which looks set to be repealed by President Trump once he is sworn in), Facebook and Instagram-owner Meta has swooped in to scoop up content creators left adrift.

Potential TikTok buyers are lining up as President Trump and the Chinese government show heightened interest in striking a deal to sell the popular video-sharing platform in the face of a U.S.

For Monika Scott and Robyn Mair, the last month has brought a whipsaw of emotions every time they log onto social media.

ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, has earmarked over 150 billion yuan ($20.64 billion) in capital expenditure for this year, much of which will be centred on artificial intelligence, two people briefed on the matter said.

Social media giant Meta has offered to pay up to $5,000 (£4,040) to popular creators in the United States who join Facebook and Instagram.