Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, is being considered as a potential buyer for the popular social media platform TikTok, which is facing a ban in the United States. Speculation has been growing around Musk’s potential interest in acquiring TikTok, especially after he successfully purchased Twitter and rebranded it as X.
According to a recent report from Bloomberg, sources close to the matter revealed that China is considering Musk as a potential buyer for TikTok in order to keep the platform running in the U.S. This news has sparked a debate on whether Musk could be the ideal candidate to save TikTok from the impending ban.
Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush, believes that Musk’s strong relationship with both President-elect Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping could play a significant role in the potential acquisition of TikTok. Ives suggests that Trump’s desire to “save” TikTok could be linked to his relationship with Musk, and acquiring the platform could potentially improve relations with China.
Ives also speculates on the potential pricing of TikTok, estimating that the platform could be sold for between $40 billion and $50 billion. Integrating TikTok into Musk’s X app could significantly enhance its value and potentially attract outside investments. In a scenario where ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, sells the U.S. operations of the platform, Musk could play a major role in the deal.
Overall, the acquisition of TikTok by Musk or any other interested party could be the only way to circumvent a ban in the U.S. The transaction would require extensive negotiations, but it could potentially be a game-changer for both TikTok and Musk’s business endeavors.
As the deadline for the ban on TikTok approaches, all eyes are on Musk and the potential implications of his involvement in the social media platform. Whether or not Musk decides to pursue this opportunity remains to be seen, but it is clear that his involvement could have far-reaching consequences for the future of TikTok in the U.S.