China Reportedly Considering Selling TikTok US To Elon Musk
In order to retain TikTok’s operations in the US.
Elon Musk could be the new owner of TikTok‘s US operations as per Bloomberg News.
CNBC reports that the Chinese government is currently considering the idea of selling TikTok US to Musk in order for the app to continue operating in the United States. Sources clarify, however, that nothing is set in stone as of writing and that this is one of several options government officials are exploring. It also remains unclear whether ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, is aware of the government’s contingency plans. Senior officials of the Chinese government are supposedly still in discussion and could bring up the conversation with President-elect Donald Trump.
“We can’t be expected to comment on pure fiction,” a TikTok rep told CNBC, while X did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The future of TikTok’s availability in the US is still undecided, but the company confirmed that it will cease operations in the region on January 19 unless the Supreme Court lifts or delays the ban. It was signed into law by President Joe Biden in April 2024 following approval from wide bipartisan majorities in Congress, with the current government maintaining that “no one can seriously dispute that (China’s) control of TikTok through ByteDance represents a grave threat to national security.” While they claim that ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, can be obliged by Chinese authorities to provide them with the information of the platform’s users, TikTok states that the administration “concedes that it has no evidence China has ever attempted to do so.”
