Elon Musk expresses no interest in purchasing TikTok
Billionaire Elon Musk has made it clear that he has no interest in acquiring TikTok.
Musk's remarks, made during a late January video conference for The WELT Group—a subsidiary of the German media giant Axel Springer SE—were published online recently.
Read more: China may sell TikTok's US operations to Elon Musk: Bloomberg
"I have not put in a bid for TikTok," Musk stated, responding to speculation following comments from US President Donald Trump, who suggested that Musk could potentially buy the app if he desired.
Musk further explained, "I don't have any plans for what I would do if I had TikTok," noting his lack of familiarity with the platform and its format.
The Tesla CEO emphasized his general reluctance to acquire existing companies, saying, "I'm not chomping at the bit to acquire TikTok; I do not acquire companies in general, it's quite rare."
He added that his billion-dollar purchase of Twitter, now rebranded as X, was an exception to his usual approach of building companies from the ground up.
The political landscape surrounding TikTok has been tumultuous, particularly since the Trump administration issued an executive order aimed at delaying the enforcement of a ban on the app, which was scheduled for January 19.
This order came as lawmakers expressed concerns that TikTok could pose national security risks, given that China might compel ByteDance to share data on US users.
TikTok has consistently denied sharing, or intending to share, such information.
Trump indicated that he is in discussions with various parties regarding TikTok's future, aiming to reach a decision soon. The app boasts around 170 million users in the US.
Recently, Trump signed an executive order to establish a sovereign wealth fund within the year, suggesting that it could potentially be used to purchase TikTok.
Read more: Trump urges Supreme Court to block TikTok ban
In a notable shift from his previous position, Trump has expressed a newfound appreciation for TikTok, stating that it played a significant role in helping him attract younger voters in the 2024 presidential election.
ByteDance, for its part, has denied any intention to sell TikTok.
