In a move that will come as no surprise to many, the world’s richest man could be poised to throw TikTok a lifeline. Chinese internet company ByteDance owns the short-form video hosting service, but with concerns that it could be used to spy on Americans, the U.S. government has threatened to ban the app as early as January 2025. January 19 is the all-important day, and with the clock ticking toward the deadline, ByteDance has been told that it has to sell to a non-Chinese organization or TikTok will be going dark in America.
President-elect Donald Trump has already intervened to ask for a delay, but with the Supreme Court throwing its weight around, many have been preparing for a TikTok-free America from January 19.
TikTok could be going dark in America on January 19 (NurPhoto / Contributor / Getty)
Now, Elon Musk is tipped to swoop in and save the day. Although Beijing officials would prefer TikTok to stay under ByteDance, Bloomberg News reports that Musk is in preliminary talks to acquire the app’s U.S. operations.
Sources claim that TikTok’s U.S. operations could sold through a competitive process or a forced arrangement by the government, suggesting that ByteDance no longer has a say in what happens next.
One potential scenario could see Musk’s X platform absorb TikTok’s in the U.S. and run the pair side by side. Then again, Bloomberg notes that a consensus hasn’t yet been reached.
Considering TikTok has some 170 million users in the USA, it could be a lucrative partnership that would help Musk attract advertisers to X. The site also says that Musk’s xAI artificial intelligence company could benefit from the masses of data that TikTok generates.
With the Chinese government having a ‘golden share’ in ByteDance, this is said to be a contributing factor in why members of Congress are concerned about its hold over TikTok.
At the time of writing, Musk and his representatives didn’t respond to requests for comment, nor did the Cyberspace Administration of China and China’s Ministry of Commerce government agencies expected to be involved in these all-important decisions.
Elon Musk could save TikTok with a lucrative deal to take over U.S. operations (Anna Moneymaker / Staff / Getty)
Musk has been vocal about TikTok’s potential ban, posting on X in April 2024 and saying: “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.”
The impending Trump administration has already pointed at tough times ahead for China, with increased tariffs and export controls poised to improve U.S. industries and clamp down on Chinese ones.
Still, it’s thought that these TikTok negotiations could be some form of reconciliation between these opposing world powers.
Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Mandeep Singh and Damian Reimertz estimated that TikTok’s U.S. operations are valued at anywhere between $40 billion and $50 billion, so it’s unclear how a deal with Musk would work. Even though he’s by far and away the world’s richest man, he’s still paying off some sizeable loans from his Twitter purchase in 2022.
TikTok isn’t out of the woods yet, but Elon Musk taking the reins wouldn’t be the strangest thing to happen in the tech world
It’s been hard to ignore X owner Elon Musk’s tirade on the platform over the past few days, as he’s stirred international conflict in a push against the UK government, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips.
Past incidents of grooming gangs – particularly the Rochdale case – have been the primary subject of Musk’s focus, and he has pledged strong support for far-right figureheads like Tommy Robinson, Nigel Farage, and the Reform UK party.
Elon Musk has thrown strong support behind far-right party Reform UK (Anna Barclay/Getty Images)
This is far from the first time that Musk has keenly involved himself in politics, as he has been a key player in Donald Trump’s election campaign and post-victory plans, alongside showing support for far-right German political party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) that has left him in potential legal trouble with France.
Additionally, he has hinted at donating $100,000,000 to Reform UK in the past, and despite recent claims that ‘Farage doesn’t have what it takes’, Musk’s commitment to the party appears unwavering.
One recent poll posted by the richest man in the world appeared to indicate that America should ‘invade’ the UK in order to overthrow the government, and this led Keir Starmer to claim that Musk has ‘crossed a line’ and that he’s not interested in victims, but instead ‘interested in himself’.
Due to the statement from the prime minister, ITV’s morning news and talk show Good Morning Britain posted a poll on X asking: “Should Elon Musk stay out of British Politics?”
The poll itself garnered 42,436 votes, and ‘No’ emerged victorious with 65.8% of the vote share.
Musk appeared to enjoy this result himself, posting a screenshot of the poll with the simple caption: “Lmao,” indicating that he was rather pleased with the proceedings.
He also quoted a post from David Atherton about the poll, declaring “Thank you, Britain!” This is in reference to Atherton’s statement that “nearly two-thirds of Brits welcome Elon Musk’s involvement in UK politics,” but it is near impossible that the only respondents to the poll were from the UK as X is a site with a global userbase, and is therefore not reflective of the British population.
As reported by the Guardian, Jess Phillips has received support from victims of the Telford sexual abuse scandal, which is one of the incidents that has drawn Musk’s focus.
The group outlined that Phillips had “devoted her life to fighting for women and girls,” and that there was “no one in public life who has done more to support victims and survivors and to advocate for their interests.”
They also hit back against Musk and other similar individuals, declaring that those who “weaponize our pain for their own ends or political gain” should “hand their heads in shame.”
This hasn’t stopped the tech mogul’s incessant posting on social media however, and he has also garnered support from members of Reform on X.
Elon Musk has been slammed by X users after he begged people to be more positive.
The billionaire made a plea on his own social media platform X, formerly Twitter, for people to post ‘positive’ and ‘beautiful’ content.
While it certainly caused a stir online, it might not have been quite the reaction Musk was hoping for.
In a post shared to his over 200 million followers, the tech mogul wrote: “Please post a bit more positive, beautiful or informative content on this platform.”
Fellow billionaire Mark Cuban was quick to shoot back at Musk, who is expected to become the world’s first trillionaire, replying with: “You first.”
Other users took to the X comment section to share their own reactions.
One person said: “Too late. You created this cesspool. You own it. Hypocrite.”
Another wrote: “How about we start with you, lead by example.”
A third person commented: “Getting tired of the toxic wasteland you created?”
A fourth said: “Elon, plenty of us have been posting positive, beautiful, and informative content for years. You know what’s discouraging? Feeling like we’re shouting into a void.
“If you really want to make this place great, start by leveling the playing field. Let every voice be heard, not just the ones with clout or a VIP badge.”
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Elon Musk wants people to be more positive on X (ANGELA WEISS/Getty Images)
And a fifth user added: “If seriously wanting to change it, then should change this post to ‘what are some good ideas on how to incentivize users to post more beautiful and informative content?’ …then maybe try to take action on those best ideas.”
While it could be that the Tesla boss is trying to turn over a new leaf, he hasn’t always practiced what he is now preaching on X.
Recently, Musk urged people not to donate to Wikipedia after finding out that the nonprofit behind the website has spent over $50 million on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
In a tweet, Musk wrote: “Stop donating to Wokepedia until they restore balance to their editing authority.”
This tweet was in response to a post uploaded by the ‘Libs of TikTok’ account who shared a pie chart that claimed 29% of Wikipedia’s budget for 2023-2024 was spent on targets for equity, safety and inclusion.
According to the Wikipedia Foundation website, the organization has a goal of spending $31.2 million on equity and $20.5 million on safety and inclusion.
$86.1 million was spent on infrastructure while $39.2 million went on effectiveness.
To say that Tesla’s Cybertruck release hasn’t been the smoothest is a bit of an understatement, as reports of ‘terrifying’ features throughout the vehicle have been paired with reviewers who were more than willing to take the loss and sell it on shortly after it arrived.
Conversely though, the Cybertruck has also been on the receiving end of a lot of praise from EV fans and tech enthusiasts alike, with YouTube superstar Marques Brownlee (otherwise known as MKBHD) proving to be one of the car’s most vocal fans.
MKBHD’s Cybertruck videos have proven both popular and divisive since their release (YouTube/Marques Brownlee)
His first video driving the car is one of his most popular, accumulating over 21,000,000 views in a year, and his official review following a month and 2,000 miles of use saw him brand the Cybertruck ‘already iconic’.
Brownlee appears to have had a change of heart in recent weeks though, as he announced on his Instagram story in late December that he’d parted with his Cybertruck, posting a close-up photo of the car with the caption ‘Sold (peace sign emoji)’.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk seems to not have taken well to this news, as he has now unfollowed MKBHD on X in what many are seeing as a direct reaction to Brownlee’s sale.
One user on X posted screenshots of Brownlee’s story and the announcement of Musk’s unfollowing with the caption: “He’s such a baby,” and many appear to agree.
“Not a fan of MKBHD but that’s valid,” said one user, whereas another added that Musk is “so fragile.”
The whole situation is perhaps not quite as dramatic as it initially seems though, as Brownlee has revealed that it’s simple a case of preferences.
In response to one user’s query over why he’d sell his Cybertruck, Brownlee revealed: “TL;DR I like the Rivian better.”
