China Explores Possibility of Elon Musk Acquiring TikTok's US Operations
According to Agence France Presse, Chinese authorities are exploring the possibility of Elon Musk, founder of Tesla and owner of X (formerly Twitter), acquiring TikTok's US operations in the event of a ban on the platform in the United States. This decision could be imminent, as American law requires ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, to sell its US branch by January 19, 2025. Washington justifies this measure due to concerns over espionage and manipulation by Beijing, while ByteDance and associations denounce an attack on freedom of expression.
Confidential sources, relayed by Bloomberg, confirm that Chinese officials are discussing an emergency plan that would involve Elon Musk in a scenario where his company X takes control of TikTok's US operations. Musk, who acquired X for $44 billion in 2022, has already demonstrated his ability to integrate complex tech companies into his innovative vision. Moreover, his artificial intelligence projects, via his company xAI, could benefit from the data generated by a social network of TikTok's scale.
Donald Trump, who will resume his presidential duties in a week, previously attempted to ban TikTok in 2020 but has since nuanced his stance, stating that he appreciates the app for its young user base. Furthermore, Musk, now close to Trump, holds a strategic role as an external advisor for federal spending reduction. These elements could play a key role in the ongoing discussions, although they remain preliminary, according to AFP.
