The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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Elon Musk has stated that he is not interested in buying TikTok, the popular short-video app that the U.S. has been attempting to ban due to national security concerns related to its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
Musk made these remarks in late January, which were shared online by The WELT Group, part of the German media company Axel Springer SE, during a summit where Musk participated via video.
“I have not made an offer for TikTok,” Musk said, a week after former U.S. President Donald Trump suggested Musk could buy the app if he wished. Musk further mentioned that he had no plans for what he would do with TikTok, noting that he does not personally use the app and is not familiar with its format.
“I’m not eager to acquire TikTok, as I don’t typically buy companies,” Musk said, explaining that his acquisition of Twitter (now X) was an exception. “I usually build companies from the ground up,” he added.
In January, President Trump signed an executive order to delay the enforcement of a ban on TikTok, which had been scheduled for January 19. The order gave ByteDance a deadline to sell TikTok’s U.S. assets or face a potential ban, due to concerns that China could force the company to share data on U.S. users. TikTok has denied these allegations.
Since a U.S. law went into effect, Apple and Google have not reinstated TikTok in their app stores. TikTok announced on Friday that U.S. Android users could still download the app via package kits on its website, bypassing the restrictions.
Trump has recently stated that he is in discussions with several parties about the app’s future and could decide on the matter this month. TikTok has around 170 million users in the U.S. Trump also signed an executive order this week to establish a sovereign wealth fund, which could potentially purchase TikTok.
ByteDance has denied any intentions to sell TikTok. Trump’s efforts to protect TikTok mark a shift from his previous term when he tried to ban the app due to fears it was sharing American user data with the Chinese government. More recently, Trump has expressed his fondness for TikTok, stating that it helped him connect with young voters in the 2024 election.
Neither ByteDance nor TikTok responded to requests for comment outside of regular business hours.
