Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Photo credit: World Economic Forum / Sikarin Thanachaiary, under Creative Commons license

Software giant Microsoft is in talks to buy popular social app TikTok, according to a report [paywall] from the New York Times. According to the Times, it’s however unclear how advanced the talks between both companies on a possible acquisition are. As of late, TikTok has been the center of scrutiny from U.S. regulators, with U.S. President Trump even stating of looking into a possible ban of the app in the US. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a private Chinese technology company valued at above $100 billion by investors. A US-based company like Microsoft swooping in to buy TikTok would likely lessen scrutiny from U.S. regulators, who right now seem to be primarily concerned over the app’s Chinese ties.

In all, ByteDance seems to be looking to quickly divest TikTok in order to stave off increasing regulatory scrutiny. Only a few days ago, the company was reported to be exploring ceding control of TikTok to a group of US investors at a valuation hovering around $50 billion.

Founded only six years ago, TikTok has grown into a global sensation with hundreds of millions of users globally. The social media app is said to be projecting revenues of $1 billion this year and $6 billion in the next.