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In a nutshell: The question of who will buy TikTok’s US operations is still being debated, but it appears that Elon Musk – one of the previous favorites and a person put forward by Donald Trump – won’t be adding another platform to his list of businesses. The world’s richest person claims he is not interested in purchasing the app, adding that he usually builds companies “from scratch.” The news has been welcomed by another potential buyer, Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast.
It was reported in January that the Chinese government was considering selling TikTok’s US assets to Musk. The DOGE leader has a good relationship with China, having praised the country on several occasions. The Tesla factory in Shanghai also nets him plenty of goodwill from officials.
The fact that Donald Trump said he was open to the possibility of Musk or Oracle boss Larry Ellison buying TikTok was another hint that the app would be joining X in Musk’s stable. However, it’s been revealed that Musk said he isn’t interested in the acquisition.
On Saturday, comments Musk made were released online by The WELT Group, part of the German media company Axel Springer SE, which hosted an economic summit in late January attended by Musk.
“I have not put in a bid for TikTok,” Musk said. “I’m not chomping at the bit to acquire TikTok, I do not acquire companies in general, it’s quite rare,” he added. “I usually build companies from scratch.”
Musk went on to explain that he does not use TikTok personally and is not familiar with its format.
Musk’s statement that he does not acquire companies and builds them from scratch obviously raises questions about Twitter, now X, which he acquired in October 2022 for $44 billion.
Musk compared buying Twitter to a potential TikTok purchase by saying he bought the former as a way to “preserve freedom of speech.” He said he’s not sure if the same logic could be applied to TikTok because the only reason behind an acquisition would be financial, in his opinion.
In my opinion, TikTok should not be banned in the USA, even though such a ban may benefit the 𝕏 platform.
Doing so would be contrary to freedom of speech and expression. It is not what America stands for.
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 19, 2024
In January, Musk wrote that he has been against the TikTok ban because it goes against freedom of speech. He also said that the current situation where TikTok is allowed to operate in America but X is not allowed to operate in China is unbalanced, and something needs to change.
YouTube (and Amazon) star MrBeast is believed to be interested in buying TikTok as part of an investment group led by Jesse Tinsley, founder and CEO of Employer.com. He replied to a message about Musk confirming he wasn’t going after the app with a single word: “Phew.”
Phew
– MrBeast (@MrBeast) February 8, 2025
TikTok’s future in the United States remains uncertain. Trump has issued an executive order delaying its ban, which stems from the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, by 75 days, extending the deadline to April 4, 2025. However, the app remains absent from the US Apple and Google stores.
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