China Weighs TikTok US Sale to Elon Musk

As the U.S. government moves to potentially ban TikTok unless its Chinese parent company ByteDance divests by January 19, 2025, there are reports that Chinese officials are considering a sale of TikTok's U.S. operations to Elon Musk. Bloomberg indicates that this option is being explored as a contingency plan amid the legal challenges the app faces in the U.S. TikTok has strongly denied these claims, labeling them as 'pure fiction.' The discussions are colored by Musk's previous business dealings and his connections with the Trump administration, who previously sought to ban the platform over national security concerns. Despite the ongoing legal battle, the Supreme Court appears inclined to support the divestiture law, raising the stakes for TikTok's future in the American market. If a deal were to materialize, TikTok's U.S. operations could be valued at $40-50 billion, though the logistics of such a large acquisition remain uncertain.