Elon Musk has made it clear that he has no intention of acquiring TikTok’s American business from ByteDance, a Chinese company, as stated in recent public remarks.
During a video interview at the WELT Economic Summit, Musk, the CEO of DOGE, mentioned that he does not use the app and lacks the motivation to pursue a purchase. “I have not actually put in a bid for TikTok, I don’t have any plans for what I would do if I had TikTok,” Musk stated at the German forum.
Musk further explained that he rarely acquires companies and only does so when there is a meaningful reason behind it. He highlighted that the acquisition of Twitter, now known as X, was an exception and was done to preserve freedom of speech in America and potentially globally.
When asked about the acquisition of TikTok, Musk expressed that he did not see the same altruistic reasons as he did with Twitter. He mentioned that acquiring TikTok would primarily result in economic benefits rather than a broader societal impact.
Last year, Congress passed a ban on TikTok due to security concerns related to its Chinese ownership. However, President Trump intervened and granted a 75-day extension for ByteDance to find a buyer for its American operations.
President Trump had previously indicated his support for Elon Musk acquiring TikTok, stating that he would back the move if Musk showed interest. Currently, Vice President JD Vance has been assigned to oversee the sale of TikTok, which has a significant user base of 170 million in the United States.
On his first day in office, President Trump paused the congressional ban on TikTok, giving the company additional time to negotiate a deal for its American business before facing removal from U.S. app stores.
