China Considers Allowing Elon Musk to Buy TikTok's U.S. Operations for $40-50 Billion Amid Ban Threat

Jan 15, 2025, 05:20 AM

Chinese officials are reportedly considering allowing Elon Musk to acquire TikTok's U.S. operations for an estimated $40 to $50 billion as a potential strategy to avoid an impending ban on the platform in the United States. The discussions come as TikTok, owned by ByteDance, faces a deadline of January 19, 2025, to either sell its U.S. operations or face a ban. The sale to Musk would involve the American branch of TikTok, which has 170 million users, potentially integrating it with Musk's social media platform X. However, TikTok has denied these discussions, labeling them as 'pure fiction.' The potential acquisition is seen as a response to U.S. national security concerns over TikTok's Chinese ownership and data privacy issues.