There have been discussions among Chinese government officials regarding a scenario where ByteDance sells TikTok’s United States arm to Elon Musk if the Supreme Court upholds the law banning the app on January 19.
Bloomberg reports that China would prefer TikTok to remain under ByteDance’s ownership, but officials have considered a sale to Musk as part of a broader plan to collaborate with the incoming administration of Donald Trump. In this scenario, Musk’s X would acquire TikTok US, integrating the platform’s 170 million American users and potential ad revenue.
A TikTok spokesperson has dismissed the report as “pure fiction” in a statement to Variety.
It remains unclear how much ByteDance and TikTok are aware of China’s discussions regarding a potential sale to Musk, which may demonstrate China’s alleged influence over the platform that led to the enactment of the banning law.
