Major tech executives from Silicon Valley will attend Trump's upcoming inauguration ceremony, with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew receiving a prestigious position on the dais alongside Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos.

Photo Credit: TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew by Lukasz Kobus / CC by 4.0

This marks a significant shift in Trump's stance toward TikTok, contrasting sharply with his 2020 attempts to ban the platform. The change appears driven by Trump's recognition of TikTok's role in connecting with younger voters during his recent campaign.

The timing is particularly crucial as TikTok faces a potential US ban on January 19, just one day before the inauguration. Congress has mandated that ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, must sell its US operations to an American company or cease operations nationwide, citing national security concerns.

Mike Waltz, the incoming national security adviser, indicated on Fox News that the Trump administration plans to find a solution that preserves TikTok while protecting user data. "TikTok itself is a fantastic platform," Waltz stated. "We're going to find a way to preserve it but protect people's data."

A recent meeting between Chew and Trump at Mar-a-Lago suggests potential negotiations are already underway, though the Supreme Court could still intervene regarding the ban's legality.

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