Is this really what it’s come to?
Two companies, one American and one Chinese, make a deal. The deal is contingent on U.S. government approval. It is difficult to see the U.S. company’s justification for doing the deal — it sells boring-but-necessary software to businesses while the Chinese company is a quirky social media phenomenon beloved by teenagers.
Except for one thing: the top two leaders of the American company — which of course is Oracle Corp. — are staunch supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump. Oracle founder Larry Ellison threw a fund-raiser for Trump, and Chief Executive Officer Safra Catz has donated more than $130,000 on his reelection bid. Minus that relationship, it is a near certainty that Trump would reject its deal with the Chinese company, ByteDance Ltd., which created TikTok. Because of that relationship, it is a near certainty that he will approve it.