Chinese officials are reportedly in early discussions about the possibility of selling TikTok’s U.S. operations to billionaire Elon Musk, should the short-video app be unable to avoid an impending ban, according to Bloomberg News on Monday.
While Beijing officials prefer TikTok to remain under the control of its parent company, ByteDance, the report indicates that the app’s future may no longer be entirely in ByteDance’s hands. TikTok’s U.S. operations could either be sold through a competitive process or arranged by the government, sources say.
ByteDance’s “golden share” held by the Chinese government has led some members of Congress to argue that China holds influence over TikTok. One possible scenario involves Musk’s social media platform, X, taking control of TikTok’s U.S. operations and managing the business together with ByteDance, although officials have not yet reached an agreement on how to move forward.
Responding to the report, a TikTok spokesperson said, “We can’t be expected to comment on pure fiction.”
It remains uncertain how much ByteDance is aware of these discussions, or whether Musk and TikTok have had any talks about a potential deal. TikTok has previously asserted that the Chinese government’s stake in ByteDance has no impact on the app’s global operations outside of China.
Neither Elon Musk, X, nor China’s Cyberspace Administration and Ministry of Commerce have responded to requests for comment.
