Chinese officials are considering the sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations to Elon Musk if the social media giant is unable to avoid a proposed ban by U.S. authorities, according to Bloomberg. The sale is seen as a contingency plan in case TikTok is banned due to national security concerns, with the Supreme Court giving ByteDance a January 19 deadline to sell the platform or face a potential ban.
The proposed ban stems from concerns that TikTok is collecting U.S. user data and undermining national security, with lawmakers voting in favor of the ban last year. TikTok is used by around 170 million users in the U.S., making it a significant presence in the social media landscape.
A sale to Musk could bring TikTok in line with the treatment of Twitter, which Musk rebranded as “X” after acquiring it in 2023. The move could also benefit other U.S. social media platforms such as Instagram and YouTube, which have launched their own short video platforms to compete with TikTok.
Meanwhile, ByteDance has contested the ban in the U.S. Supreme Court, but recent discussions suggest that U.S. judges are likely to uphold the ban. The fate of TikTok in the U.S. remains uncertain, but a sale to Musk could be a possible outcome if the ban is ultimately enforced.
