What is a sovereign wealth fund? How Trump’s executive order may be used to buy TikTok

Ben Sperry February 4, 2025

Ben Sperry, senior scholar at ICLE, offered perspective in this Austin American-Statesman story about the Trump administration executive order on TikTok. Read the full article here.

Ben Sperry, senior scholar at the International Center for Law & Economics, said the executive order falls into a “gray area.” Under federal law, it remains illegal for U.S. companies, like internet hosting services and app stores, to maintain, distribute and update TikTok, as the platform remains owned by Chinese company ByteDance. However, Trump’s order invites companies to “break” this law, under the impression they will not face repercussions, Sperry said.