Elon Musk swipes left on TikTok acquisition drama, doesn't use the app

If you're a fan of X – the former Twitter platform – you're probably secretly hoping for Elon Musk to take over TikTok as well. Not to rain on your parade, but that won't happen – at least for now.

Elon Musk has made it clear that he has no interest in purchasing the incredibly popular short-video app TikTok. As you know, TikTok has been at the center of US national security concerns due to its Chinese ownership by ByteDance. Officials say it's too close to a certain foreign government and that 170 million Americans' private data is at risk.

Apparently, Musk's remarks were made in late January, but were only recently published online by a division of a German media company. In essence, a few weeks ago, Musk participated via video in a summit and spoke his mind.

During the discussion, the world's richest man stated that he had not made an offer for TikTok, responding to remarks made by former President Donald Trump, who had suggested that he would be open to Musk acquiring the platform. Musk also noted that he had no concrete plans for what he would do with TikTok if he were to own it, emphasizing that he does not personally use the app and is unfamiliar with its format.

Musk downplayed the idea of acquiring TikTok, stating that he rarely buys companies and that his purchase of Twitter, now rebranded as X, was an exception. He explained that he typically builds companies from the ground up rather than acquiring existing ones.



The issue of TikTok's ownership has remained a hot topic in Washington. Lawmakers have expressed concerns that ByteDance could be compelled by the Chinese government to share data from its US users, a claim that both the company and TikTok have repeatedly denied.

As a result, ByteDance was given until January to sell its US operations or face a ban in the country. The deadline was accompanied by an executive order delaying enforcement of the ban, which was originally set to take effect on January 19.

Despite ongoing uncertainty, TikTok has attempted to maintain its US presence. Apple and Google have yet to restore the app to their platforms, following the implementation of a US law affecting its availability. In response, TikTok announced that it was allowing Android users in the country to download the app directly from its website, bypassing traditional app stores.

Trump has continued discussions regarding TikTok's future and has indicated that he expects to make a decision on the matter soon. In a notable shift from his previous stance, Trump recently expressed a more favorable view of TikTok, attributing the platform's influence to his success in engaging young voters during the 2024 election.

Meanwhile, ByteDance has denied any plans to sell the app, and both ByteDance and TikTok have not issued further statements regarding the ongoing developments. In fact, they've published a lengthy blog post about how they say the US users' data is being kept safe.

Do you believe them?