US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Oracle Corp is a good company and could take over popular Chinese-owned social media app TikTok in the United States, after he issued an order mandating its sale in 90 days.

The remarks came after Oracle joined some of the investors of TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, in pursuing a bid for the short-video app's operations in North America, Australia and New Zealand, Reuters reported.

The move would represent a strategic departure for Oracle, which caters mostly to corporate customers and generates the bulk of its sales from cloud offerings and software licensing.

Its co-founder and Chairman Larry Ellison is one of the few top technology executive to openly support President Donald Trump, who has ordered ByteDance to divest TikTok amid concerns over the safety of the personal data of US consumers.

Oracle is working with some of ByteDance's investors, including General Atlantic and Sequoia Capital, on making an offer for the TikTok assets that would challenge a rival bid from Microsoft Corp, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

ByteDance, TikTok, Oracle, General Atlantic and Sequoia declined to comment. The Financial Times first reported Oracle's interest in TikTok.

First Published:Aug 19, 2020 3:22 AM IST