Billionaire Elon Musk has denied interest in purchasing TikTok, the popular short-video app owned by Chinese company ByteDance. In a recent statement, Musk said he had not put in a bid for the app and does not have plans to acquire it.
Musk made his comments during a video conference at The WELT Group’s summit, where he was joined by U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump had previously expressed interest in acquiring TikTok, but has now delayed enforcement of a ban on the app due to ongoing negotiations.
The United States has been trying to ban TikTok over national security concerns related to its Chinese ownership. ByteDance has denied sharing U.S. user data with the Chinese government, and Apple and Google have removed TikTok from their app stores in response to the ban.
However, Trump has said he is open to acquiring TikTok if it becomes available. He signed an executive order seeking to delay enforcement of a ban on the app, which was set to take effect on January 19. ByteDance has denied plans to sell the U.S. assets of TikTok.
TikTok has about 170 million American users and is popular among young voters. Trump has expressed admiration for the app, citing its role in helping him win over younger voters in the 2024 presidential election.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/billionaire-musk-says-not-interested-acquiring-tiktok-2025-02-08