A years-long legal battle over TikTok in the United States has come to an end, with the announcement that a new US entity has been established for the app after a deal was completed to transfer its operations and algorithms to a coalition of American investors.
The deal, framed as a way to avoid a ban on the platform over national security concerns tied to Chinese influence, granted several US investment firms control of a majority stake in TikTok US. At the forefront is Oracle, founded by billionaire Larry Ellison.
Ellison’s presence among the new owners has put him under a harsh spotlight and fuelled heated debate over the political and media implications of the deal, particularly in relation to freedom of content connected to the Palestinian cause.
Larry Ellison and the TikTok controversy
Larry Ellison is a US technology magnate and co-founder of the software giant Oracle. His wealth has recently reached record levels, to the point that for a brief period in 2025 he reportedly surpassed Elon Musk to become the world’s richest man, with an estimated fortune of about $393 billion.
He is known for a lavish lifestyle, including owning an entire island in Hawaii. More significant, however, is his wide influence in Silicon Valley and his deep political relationships. Politically, Ellison is viewed as a close ally of US President Donald Trump and one of the largest donors to the Republican Party.
His name emerged during Trump’s first administration as a prominent supporter. He hosted fundraising events on Trump’s behalf and appeared alongside him on multiple occasions. Trump himself publicly praised Ellison in striking terms, describing him as an “amazing man and manager” and “the CEO of everything”, reflecting Ellison’s standing in conservative US circles.
Ellison’s role within the investor coalition acquiring TikTok has triggered controversy for several reasons. The first is that many viewed the deal as a political victory for Trump and his allies, as the widely popular social platform would fall into the hands of business figures aligned with the president.
Reports indicate that the White House welcomed the deal as fulfilling the objective of shifting TikTok into American ownership. Critics, however, argue that the identity of the investors, including Ellison, signals a project to reshape TikTok into a politically biased media tool.
In their view, having a figure like Ellison, known for his political positions, raises the prospect of a different kind of censorship on the platform, distinct from the Chinese control previously alleged.
Analysts have also noted that the conservative Murdoch media family, owner of Fox News, and billionaires close to Trump, such as Michael Dell, are among the investors. This has led some observers to warn of an emerging “official American media network” that could shape what people see and hear.
In other words, critics fear that TikTok under Ellison and his partners could become a platform serving the interests of the American right and reinforcing its narrative, rather than maintaining the plurality the platform was known for.
Ellison’s ties to “Israel”
Ellison’s presence in the deal has raised specific questions about his relationship with “Israel” and how this might influence TikTok’s policies. His name is not unfamiliar in Israeli circles. He is Jewish and has taken public positions supporting “Tel Aviv”.
More than that, Ellison is described as the largest individual donor to the Israeli occupation army through an organisation known as Friends of the Israel Defense Forces in the United States. In 2017, he made a donation reported at $16.6 million, described at the time as the largest in the organisation’s history.
He reportedly said during the fundraising event that “there is no greater honour than supporting some of the bravest people in the world”, referring to soldiers of the occupation army.
Ellison’s support has not been limited to money. He has built personal relationships with prominent Israeli leaders and is described as a close friend of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, hosting him at times in luxury properties including his private island of Lanai in Hawaii.
In 2021, even when Netanyahu was opposition leader, reports said he spent a holiday on Ellison’s private island while Ellison was listed as a prosecution witness in Netanyahu’s ongoing trial at the time, indicating the depth of the relationship.
Media sources also reported that Ellison offered Netanyahu a seat on Oracle’s board in 2021, a move some interpreted as an attempt to provide an honorary role and political backing during a critical phase of his career.
Oracle itself has a strong presence in the occupied Palestinian territories. In 2021, it opened a major cloud data centre in Jerusalem valued at $319 million, and was described as the first multinational technology company to provide cloud services there.
Oracle executive Safra Catz stated clearly in 2021 that the company’s “commitment to Israel is unmatched”, and went further by saying employees who “do not agree with our mission to support the State of Israel” may not be a good fit for the company.
In “Israel”, many view Ellison’s growing influence across media and technology favourably. Hebrew press outlets close to the occupation government implicitly praised his role in the TikTok deal, treating him as a guarantee that the Israeli narrative could gain the upper hand on the platform.
Netanyahu himself described the acquisition of TikTok by US allies as “the most important acquisition taking place now”, adding, “I hope it happens because it has a big impact”.
In a meeting with pro “Israel” activists, Netanyahu said control over social media, especially TikTok, has become “one of our most important propaganda weapons” in confronting what he called a flood of videos from Gaza shaping young people’s minds.
What the deal could mean for Palestinians
This Israeli enthusiasm is matched on the other side by deep concern among Palestinians and their supporters. They view Ellison as fully aligned with “Tel Aviv” and fear he could use his influence to suppress pro Palestinian content.
Over recent years, TikTok has become one of the most significant platforms used by Palestinian youth and supporters of the Palestinian cause to communicate their message and document suffering under occupation.
That was especially visible during the latest assault on Gaza, when videos of destruction and victims flooded the app and generated widespread global sympathy.
This phenomenon caused serious anxiety in Israeli circles supporting the war. Many American Jewish organisations described TikTok as “the worst of all” in circulating what they claim is content hostile to “Israel” and antisemitism, as they alleged.
For example, the CEO of the Anti Defamation League was repeatedly quoted in late 2023 saying: “We really have a TikTok problem with Gen Z, and we need to focus our energy on solving it quickly.”
Statements by US officials also indicated that the rise of pro Palestine content on the platform played a role in accelerating efforts to ban it or force a sale.
Prominent Republican Senator Mitt Romney said plainly in May 2024: “If you look at the posts on TikTok and the number of times the Palestinians are mentioned compared to other social media platforms, you’ll find that the balance is overwhelmingly in this app.”
These factors help explain why supporters of “Israel” welcomed the idea of TikTok shifting into “friendly” American hands. They hope the platform’s algorithm will be altered and its content refined in ways that curb the spread of the Palestinian narrative.
The Jewish Federations of North America described the sale deal as “a great moment of hope” to correct TikTok’s trajectory, calling it “the most dangerous publisher of hate against Israel”, in its words.
With Ellison and his group taking the helm, there are stated fears that TikTok’s content policies could change. The platform would reportedly come under direct technical and security oversight by Oracle, including retraining the video recommendation algorithm using only US user data.
While the company says this is to protect data security and privacy, experts argue that changing the algorithmic formula could gradually change what content users are shown. Alongside this, many expect stricter enforcement standards for political content.
New York Magazine warned that the new owners would “exploit the platform to push messages loyal to the Trump movement (MAGA)” and may suppress pro Palestinian voices.
Taylor Lorenz, known for covering digital media, told the Israeli news site +972 that Palestinian content could disappear entirely from the new TikTok.
She said the experience of X, which she described as becoming a platform for far right discourse under Elon Musk’s ownership, could be repeated on TikTok. That, she warned, could mean a sharp political tilt and intensified pressure on content supporting Palestinians.
