TikTok has refuted claims that Beijing is considering allowing the platform’s US operations to be sold to Elon Musk in order to remain active in that country, multiple media outlets report.
The rebuff was made in response to a Bloomberg article claiming that the Tesla CEO could end up running TikTok in conjunction with his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to avoid a US-wide ban on the short-video app coming into force this month.
“We can’t be expected to comment on pure fiction,” a TikTok spokesperson told media, regarding the speculations.
The comments come as US users flock to another Chinese app, Xiaohongshu (or RedNote in English), drawn by its TikTok like features. The app, owned by Shanghai-based Xingyin Information Technology, allows for short videos, community building, shopping and more.
Xiaohongshu was the top free app on the Apple App Store on Monday, followed by TikTok’s sister app Lemon8, which is primarily used for photo sharing. Prominent American content creators on TikTok have told their followers to join them on Xiaohongshu in protest at the former app’s imminent ban.
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New legislation in the US could force TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to either sell its US operations by 19 January or face being banned there. The law, enacted due to security concerns the US government has about TikTok’s Chinese ownership, is currently being reviewed by the US Supreme Court.
However, US President-elect Donald Trump has urged the Supreme Court to delay its decision on the new law – passed by the outgoing Biden administration – until after he takes office on 20 January.
A spokesperson has said that Trump “opposes banning TikTok” and “seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means.” TikTok’s chief executive, Shou Zi Chew, has also met with Trump at the incoming president’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Beijing has repeatedly said it opposes any sale of TikTok, preferring the app to remain fully in control of Chinese tech giant ByteDance.
It has also denied that the company poses a national security risk to the US, and said that a ban on TikTok would backfire on the country through damaging the many businesses and content creators reliant on it for an audience.
