The Chinese government is considering a plan to have Elon Musk acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations in order to prevent the app from being effectively banned in the country. According to Bloomberg News, this contingency plan is one of several options being explored by the Chinese government as the U.S. Supreme Court determines whether to uphold a law that requires China-based ByteDance to divest TikTok’s U.S. business by January 19. If the law is upheld, third-party internet service providers would be penalized for supporting TikTok’s operations in the country.
Under the plan, Musk would oversee both X, which he currently owns, and TikTok’s U.S. business. However, it is unclear whether ByteDance is aware of the Chinese government’s plans and whether or not they would accept the proposal. The plan is still preliminary and has not been finalized.
Senior Chinese officials are also debating contingency plans involving TikTok’s future in the U.S. as part of larger discussions about working with President-elect Donald Trump. In response to the report, a TikTok spokesperson declined to comment, stating that they cannot comment on “pure fiction.” X did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The U.S. Supreme Court recently held oral arguments about the law potentially banning TikTok, with the app’s legal team arguing that the law violates the free speech rights of the millions of users in the U.S. The U.S. government, on the other hand, has argued that ByteDance’s ownership of TikTok poses a national security risk. With the Supreme Court appearing to side with the government, TikTok could turn to Trump, who has flip-flopped on his stance on the matter, and last month urged the Supreme Court to delay the implementation of the ban in order to find a “political resolution.”
