Sell TikTook To Elon Musk? App Calls Report ‘Pure Fiction.’

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TikTok rejected a report Monday that the Chinese government is mulling a proposal to sell the company’s U.S. operations to billionaire Elon Musk to keep the app from being banned in America.

Bloomberg first reported the idea was just one option on the table as the U.S. Supreme Court weighs a law that could ban TikTok in the U.S. later this month. Congress passed bipartisan legislation last April to force the sale of the app, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. Lawmakers say they are concerned users’ data could fall into the hands of the Chinese government, claiming the app represents a serious threat to national security.

The company has said such concerns about the app are unwarranted, and its lawyers argued before the Supreme Court recently that the law violates the First Amendment. The law established a Jan. 19 deadline for TikTok to sell the app or be banned (current users will likely still be able to access it, although with many difficulties).

The Bloomberg report, citing people familiar with the discussions, says the Chinese government has considered a scenario in which Musk’s other social media company, X, would take control of the U.S. operations for TikTok and run them jointly.

Musk paid $44 billion for Twitter, now called X, in 2022.

Evan Vucci/Associated Press

It’s unclear if ByteDance or Musk have been involved in such planning with the Chinese government, Bloomberg added.

TikTok was quick to throw water on the idea.

“We can’t be expected to comment on pure fiction,” a spokesperson for the company told HuffPost in a statement.

If the Supreme Court upholds the federal law, it would effectively shutter the popular app’s U.S. operations. About a third of American adults use TikTok, including nearly 60% of people ages 18 to 29, according to a recent Pew Research survey.

Bloomberg noted that even if Musk — a confidant of President-elect Donald Trump and the world’s richest man — wanted TikTok, it’s unclear how he would acquire it or if the U.S. would approve of such a sale. The app’s U.S. operations are valued at an estimated $40 billion to $50 billion.

Musk paid $44 billion for Twitter in 2022 but still owes loans on the transaction.

April 19, 2024

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In my opinion, TikTok should not be banned in the USA, even though such a ban may benefit the 𝕏 platform.

Doing so would be contrary to freedom of speech and expression. It is not what America stands for.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 19, 2024

Sell TikTook To Elon Musk? App Calls Report ‘Pure Fiction.’

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