Kevin O’Leary’s $20B TikTok offer is rejected as ByteDance confirms it won’t sell the key technology behind the app’s success.

The clock is ticking toward a U.S. ban on TikTok, but users seeking clarity on what that will mean did not get much Saturday from the company that runs the popular video-sharing platform or the technology giants that offer the TikTok app in their digital marketplaces.

TikTok is an AI app. Not an “ask a bot to do your homework” kind of AI app, but an AI app all the same: Its algorithm processes and acts upon huge amounts of data to keep users engaged. Without that fundamental, freakishly well-tuned technology, TikTok wouldn’t really be anything at all—just another video or shopping platform.

Dan Ives, Wedbush Securities global head of tech research, joins CNBC's 'The Exchange' to discuss the looming TikTok ban in the U.S.

The supremely popular TikTok could be banned on Jan. 19 under a federal law that forces the video sharing platform to divest itself from its China-based parent company, ByteDance, or shut down its U.S.

Washington — The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a new law that would lead to a ban of the social media platform TikTok, clearing the way for the widely popular app to shutter in the U.S. as soon as Sunday.

A change to China’s export rules could give Beijing sign off on any deal that would force the internet giant ByteDance to give up TikTok.

Starting in 2017, when the Chinese social video app merged with its competitor Musical.ly, TikTok has grown from a niche teen app into a global trendsetter. While, of course, also emerging as a potential national security threat, according to U.S. officials.

As the US ban on TikTok approaches, President Trump hints at a possible extension to allow the app to continue operating beyond the deadline.

Many Austin-based influencers make the majority of their income from TikTok. Read about eight who wonder what happens next if the app is banned.

With a TikTok ban set to go into effect Sunday, influencers and strategists say politicians run the risk of losing a key communication tool and alienating the large number of people active there.