Tue Jan 14 06:19:16 UTC 2025: ## TikTok Denounces Report of Musk Buyout as “Pure Fiction”
**Washington, D.C.** – TikTok has vehemently denied a Bloomberg report suggesting the Chinese government is exploring a sale of its US operations to Elon Musk. A TikTok spokesperson dismissed the report as “pure fiction” in response to the article, which claimed Beijing is considering allowing Musk’s X Corp. to acquire TikTok’s US arm and integrate it with the platform formerly known as Twitter.
The Bloomberg report, citing anonymous sources, estimated the value of TikTok’s US operations at $40-$50 billion. However, it acknowledged uncertainty regarding Musk’s ability to finance such a large transaction and whether he would need to divest other assets. X Corp. has not yet commented on the report.
This purported sale comes amid a looming deadline. A US law, passed last year by the Biden administration, mandates that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, either divest its US operations or face a shutdown. This law takes effect on Sunday, January 19th. ByteDance has consistently maintained it will not sell.
The US government’s rationale for potential TikTok restrictions centers on concerns about data collection and potential Chinese espionage, as well as the spread of propaganda—accusations that both China and ByteDance deny. TikTok has challenged the law, with the Supreme Court hearing arguments on Friday.
Adding another layer of complexity, President-elect Donald Trump, who opposed a TikTok ban during his first term, recently urged the Supreme Court to postpone its decision until his inauguration on January 20th. He reportedly aims to find a political solution, a stance seemingly at odds with his previous position and following a recent meeting with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew. Trump’s opposition to the ban has partly stemmed from concerns it could benefit Facebook, a company he has criticized.
First Piper 