Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
Chinese government officials are reportedly drawing up contingency plans for TikTok’s potential US ban.
One potential scenario under discussion includes selling TikTok’s US operations to Musk’s X (formerly Twitter).
If this happens, X could end up gaining TikTok’s 170 million+ user base in the US.
Update: January 14, 2025 (2:39 AM ET): TikTok has reportedly called the Bloomberg report mentioned below “pure fiction.”
“We can’t be expected to comment on pure fiction,” a TikTok spokesperson told Variety when asked to comment on the alleged discussions within the Chinese government about selling TikTok’s US operations to Elon Musk.
Original article: January 14, 2025 (12:32 PM ET): The deadline for TikTok’s potential US ban or sale is looming large. The social media platform’s parent firm ByteDance has till January 19 to either sell it’s US stake in TikTok or face a ban that would make the app unavailable in the country. Now, it looks like Elon Musk is in the running to acquire the US operations of TikTok.
According to BloombergChinese government officials are evaluating the option of selling TikTok’s US operations to Musk-owned X if the company fails to fight the ban. While officials in Beijing prefer TikTok remains under the ownership of ByteDance, contingency plans are being drawn up by senior Chinese officials, as per the report.
The discussions to sell TikTok’s US operations to Musk are part of the Chinese government’s efforts to work with Trump and people in his administration, which includes Musk. While the short-video app is owned by ByteDance, the Chinese government will reportedly have a say its US sale, should it come to that, said people close to the development.
Bloomberg reports that discussions within the Chinese government include one potential scenario that would see Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) taking over TikTok’s US operations and managing the two platforms jointly. TikTok, with its user base of over 170 million in the US, could boost X’s appeal to advertisers. Additionally, Musk’s artificial intelligence venture, xAI, might gain significant advantages from the vast amounts of data generated by TikTok.
It’s unclear if ByteDance is aware of the Chinese government’s deliberations or if there’s any consensus about how to proceed. It’s also unclear if Musk is in active discussions with TikTok and ByteDance about a potential deal.
In April, Musk shared on X that he believes TikTok should continue operating in the US, despite acknowledging that a ban on the platform would ultimately benefit X. Musk has not commented on the latest report.
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