Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — China is reportedly exploring the possibility of selling TikTok to billionaire Elon Musk in a bid to keep the app operational in the United States. This development comes as the U.S. government enforces regulations requiring TikTok to separate from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or face a nationwide ban.
The report, first published by Bloomberg, suggests that Chinese authorities are evaluating options, including Musk acquiring TikTok’s U.S. operations should the app face a nationwide ban.
However, TikTok has dismissed the claim. “We cannot comment on fictional stories,” a TikTok spokesperson as reported by Variety on Tuesday, January 14, 2025.
Elon Musk has yet to respond to the Bloomberg report, which cites anonymous sources. Musk, however, has a history of acquiring struggling social media platforms. In 2022, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX purchased Twitter for $44 billion and rebranded it as X.
According to Bloomberg, one scenario under discussion involves X acquiring TikTok’s U.S. operations while maintaining business ties with China. The report underscores that it remains unclear whether Musk, TikTok, or ByteDance have held formal talks regarding the terms of such a deal.
TikTok U.S. Ban
The U.S. regulation threatening TikTok’s operations is set to take effect on January 19, just one day before Donald Trump’s inauguration as president. Trump, who has consistently pushed for TikTok to be banned, has indicated he would support suspending the prohibition under certain conditions.
TikTok argues that the legislation jeopardizing its presence in the U.S. violates the First Amendment rights of its 170 million American users. Despite this, U.S. regulators remain steadfast, citing national security concerns. They argue that ByteDance’s ownership could allow the Chinese government to access user data, as Chinese laws require companies to share information with the state.
Read also : ByteDance Pushes Back Against U.S. Mandate to Sell TikTok
As the January 19 deadline looms, the fate of TikTok in the U.S. remains uncertain, leaving millions of users, tech industry leaders, and policymakers closely watching whether a resolution can be reached or if the popular platform will face an unprecedented shutdown.
(Raidi/Agung)
