Perplexity AI’s New TikTok Merger Offer Could Give U.S. Government 50% Stake

AI startup updates ByteDance proposal with new U.S. holding company and potential government stake.

Perplexity AI has revised its merger offer for TikTok parent ByteDance (BDNCE), proposing a structure that could give the U.S. government up to a 50% stake in a future IPO, multiple news reports indicate. The new proposal introduces a U.S.-based holding company, NewCo, which would oversee TikTok U.S. and ByteDance’s core recommendation algorithm.

Existing investors from Perplexity AI and…