Elon Musk Dismisses Plans to Acquire TikTok

Elon Musk, the world's richest person and owner of social media platform X (formerly Twitter), has firmly stated that he has no plans to acquire TikTok's operations in the United States. Musk made these comments during a virtual session at the WELT Economic Summit held in Germany on January 28, 2025.

Musk, who acquired Twitter for $44 billion in 2022, emphasized that he does not use TikTok personally and is not familiar with the platform. He added, "I don't acquire things just for economic reasons. It's not clear to me what the purpose of acquiring TikTok would be apart from economics."

The comments come amid ongoing discussions about TikTok's future in the U.S., with national security concerns being a significant factor. U.S. lawmakers have raised fears that TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, could be forced to share user data with the Chinese government. A bill signed by former President Joe Biden last April gave ByteDance a deadline to divest from TikTok or face a ban in the U.S. The new deadline falls in April 2025.

Despite speculation that Musk might be interested in acquiring TikTok, he has dismissed these reports as "pure fiction". Musk's primary concern, if he were to consider acquiring the app, would be assessing whether its algorithm is beneficial or harmful to users.

As the deadline approaches, discussions about TikTok's fate continue. While some lawmakers push for a ban, others advocate for a sale to a U.S. company to ensure continued operations. Musk's refusal to engage in a potential bid leaves the field open for other investors.

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