TikTok owner ByteDance is reportedly racing to build a stand-alone version of the short-video app for the United States that would run on its own recommendation algorithm and store only American user data, according to a July 9 Reuters report that cited people working on the initiative. The so-called “M2” project aims to duplicate the current codebase, transfer existing content and train a U.S.-specific algorithm before a self-imposed September deadline. Engineers have also begun moving non-U.S. data out of American servers run by Oracle, the report said, paving the way for a technical split that could satisfy national-security requirements and support a sale of TikTok’s U.S. business. The initiative comes as a 2024 U.S. law requires ByteDance to divest TikTok’s American operations or face a nationwide ban by Sept. 17. President Donald Trump said last week he would resume talks with Beijing and was “close” to securing a buyer. A consortium of existing shareholders including Susquehanna International Group, General Atlantic, KKR, Blackstone and Andreessen Horowitz has emerged as the frontrunner, with Oracle expected to take a stake, Reuters previously reported. The U.S. version of TikTok would mirror the China-only Douyin app and could alter how 170 million Americans discover and share videos. Hours after the Reuters story was published, ByteDance issued a brief statement calling the report “factually inaccurate.” The company did not elaborate. Beijing’s approval remains a critical unknown, as China’s export-control rules cover recommendation algorithms and could block their transfer. Whether ByteDance can deliver a fully independent U.S. platform—or whether the project is a bargaining chip in broader U.S.–China trade talks—now hangs over the future of one of America’s most-used social-media services.