TikTok describes possible sale of US operations to Elon Musk as ‘pure fiction’

TikTok has dismissed claims that China is considering the sale of its US operations to Elon Musk, calling the idea ‘pure fiction’.

The company’s comment comes in response to a Bloomberg report which suggested that Chinese authorities might explore selling TikTok’s US business to the billionaire if the US Supreme Court upholds a potential ban on the app.

TikTok has repeatedly stated that it has no plans to sell its US division, with a TikTok representative further reinforcing the decision to BBC News on Tuesday: “We can’t be expected to comment on pure fiction.”

Bloomberg’s report, citing unnamed sources, said there could be a potential scenario considered by Chinese officials involving Musk’s social media platform X taking over TikTok’s operations.

TikTok appeared before the US Supreme Court on Friday in a final attempt to block a looming national ban, in a case that flagged concerns over national security and free speech rights.

The platform is challenging a law passed last year that requires it to separate from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or be banned in the US by 19 January.

The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden, requires ByteDance to sell TikTok to an American company or face a nationwide ban. The bill addressed lawmakers’ concern of the company’s potential access to large amounts of US data to influence public opinion and fuel espionage initiatives.

While not banning the app outright, the bill would require companies like Apple and Google to remove it from their platforms, which would likely be enough to effectively shut it down.

Last month, Donald Trump, who is scheduled to take office on 20 January, called for a delay in enforcement, seeking to negotiate a settlement as soon as he takes office.

His legal team said that Trump opposes the ban and that the incoming US president wants resolve the issue diplomatically after assuming office. The comments came days after Trump met TikTok chief executive Shoou Zi Chew at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

TikTok has repeatedly denied being influenced by the Chinese government and claims the law banning its operation in the US violates users’ first amendment right to free speech as the platform is one of the most popular in the country for political discourse, commerce, and creative expression.
TikTok is already banned from government devices in many countries and has faced an outright ban in India.

X and TikTok did not immediately report to requests for comment.