Musk Declares No Intent to Purchase TikTok – One America News Network
OAN Staff Abril Elfi
10:00 AM – Sunday, February 9, 2025
Elon Musk has confirmed that he has no intention of acquiring TikTok or any plans regarding its potential ownership.
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On Saturday, WELT group shared a video from the WELT Economic Summit, held on January 28th, where Musk addressed the app.
“I haven’t made a bid for TikTok, nor do I have any plans regarding what I would do if I owned it,” Musk stated.
Musk has previously mentioned that he typically avoids purchasing companies, with Twitter, now referred to as X, being an exception made to “protect freedom of speech.”
The Biden administration had earlier instructed TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to divest the platform, which boasts approximately 170 million users in the U.S., citing “national security” concerns.
The legislation was initially signed by President Joe Biden on April 24th, 2024. It is known as the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act,” prohibiting any entity from distributing, maintaining, or updating applications controlled by foreign adversaries.
The administration’s worries revolve around the extensive data the Chinese app collects from its users, which could potentially be exploited by the Chinese government for “blackmail” and other nefarious purposes against American citizens.
Following his inauguration, Trump announced on Truth Social that his directive would “extend the time before the law’s prohibitions come into effect” and “ensure that there will be no liabilities for any company that helped prevent TikTok from shutting down before my order.”
“Americans deserve to witness our exciting Inauguration on Monday, along with other events and discussions,” Trump asserted.
If a sale is moving forward, the current president has the authority to implement a 90-day extension. Although some investors have bid for the app, ByteDance has previously indicated it does not plan to sell.
It remains unclear whether Trump’s comments were aimed at the U.S. government or American businesses when he expressed a desire for the U.S. to hold a 50% ownership stake in a joint venture.
“By pursuing this, we preserve TikTok, keep it under good management, and allow it to continue existing,” Trump noted. “Without U.S. approval, TikTok cannot operate. With our backing, it holds value in the hundreds of billions—potentially trillions.”
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