Will Elon Musk Buy TikTok? What We Know

Marni Rose McFall is a Newsweek journalist founded in London, in the United Kingdom, his accessory is placed in American politics, social affairs and popular culture. In large part it covered fashion, culture, art and music. Marni joined Newsweek in 2024 with the phrase organization and had already written for the sun, Cosmopolitan, Schon, The Fall and See. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh. You can touch Marni by sending an email to m. mcfall@newsweek. com.

According to the facts, first hand was observed and verified through the journalist or informed and verified from competent sources.

Reports have emerged suggesting Elon Musk, the tech billionaire, is being eyed by Chinese authorities as a potential buyer of TikTok. The social-media app is facing a ban in the U.S. from Sunday, January 19, over national security concerns.

This is what we know so far.

Newsweek has reached out to the press department for Musk’s Tesla via email for comment.

A third of American adults use TikTok, according to data from the Pew Research Centre. The app’s relationship with its Chinese parent company ByteDance has led to concerns it could be used for spying and political disruption.

Musk, the richest type in the world, is an influential figure in politics and technology. The owner of the Social Site X (previously Twitter) recently appointed through President -elect Donald Trump to direct the new Government Efficiency Department (Doge). He is a best close friend of the next president and the greatest political donor of the 2024 elections.

Ahead of the impending Tiktok ban, Bloomberg reported on Monday, mentioning to others familiar with the issue, that Chinese officials weighed an option that would see their U. S. stuff sold to Musk.

Tiktok closed the reports. In an email shared with Newsweek, a Tiktok spokesman said: “We hope to comment on natural fiction. “

According to Bloomberg, the Chinese government, which has a controlling ‘Golden Share’ in ByteDance, would strongly prefer the company retain control of TikTok but is exploring alternatives, including a possible sale to Musk, as part of ongoing discussions about how to respond to the potential U.S. ban.

A scenario allegedly under discussion involves the X app owned by Musk taking control of TikTok’s U.S. operations and integrating the two platforms, Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal have reported, citing unnamed sources.

However, it is unclear at this time if ByteDance is aware of these discussions, or if the SpaceX chief and TikTok have engaged in talks of any kind.

The judges of the Supreme Court rule on a law that establishes a deadline on Sunday, January 19 so that Tiktok sells its operations in the United States, or in front of a prohibition in the country.

Tiktok has said it would not sell its U. S. operation.

“A prospective acquisition of Tiktok through a global influence known as musk can remod Newsweek electronic. He is the president of Heinz Riehl of Technology and Marketing at the Stern Business School of the University of Leonard N. new York.

“A possible acquisition of Tiktok through Elon Musk can simply cause significant adjustments to central operations and the user’s user experience, taking advantage of his control technique in X,” Ghose added. “I think users can see the advent of paid verification systems, adjustments. In content moderation policies and new electronic commerce features,” said Ghose, adding, “content creators can deal with incentives and reviewed monetization policies.

“The set of rules of the firm’s signature tips can go through modifications to align with freedom of expression and use of data. However, I can believe that such acquisition can face blocks of regulatory stumbling blocks, in a specific superior evaluation of Tiktok, complex.

He added: “A Tiktok prohibition can have significant implications in many dimensions. From a commercial perspective, a prohibition of Tiktok would create significant market opportunities for competitive applications such as Instagram reels, YouTube shorts, Facebook reels and emerging social media applications Capture the Tiktok user base and advertising income.

“The economic impact would extend to businesses that use TikTok for marketing and customer engagement, requiring them to reallocate their social-media strategies and advertising budgets. Companies specializing in TikTok marketing services would need to pivot their business models. From a user perspective, it would affect hundreds of millions of active users who use the platform for entertainment, education, and community connection. Many users have built significant followings and communities that would be disrupted,” Ghose said.

Musk faced reports on Tiktok’s acquisition, but opposed efforts to prohibit application in the United States.

The president -elect Trump said at a press convention in December after his victory in the elections: “I have a position in my Tiktok center because I won Young [in 2024] 34 ELECTIONSARRAY points

Tiktok will appear before the Supreme Court on Friday, Jan. 17 in a last-ditch attempt to spare it a nationwide ban on the application.

Update 1/14/25, 12:05 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Ghose.

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Marni Rose McFall is a Newsweek journalist founded in London, in the United Kingdom, her accessory is placed in American politics, social affairs and popular culture. It largely covered fashion, culture, art, and music. Marni joined Newsweek in 2024 with the Frasers organization and had previously written for the Sun, Cosmopolitan, Schon, The Fall and See. She graduated from the University of Edinburgh. You can touch Marni by emailing m. mcfall@newsweek. com.

Marni Rose McFall is a Newsweek journalist based in London, UK. She focuses on American politics, social affairs, and popular culture. She has covered fashion, culture, art, and music extensively. Marni joined Newsweek in 2024 after running for Frasers Group and in the past writing for The Sun, Cosmopolitan, Schon, The Fall and See Fashion. She graduated from the University of Edinburgh. You can contact Marni by emailing m. mcfall@newsweek. com.

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