TikTok breaks silence on selling app to Elon Musk rumours: ‘Pure fiction’

ByteDance’s video-sharing platform TikTok brushes off selling the app to Elon Musk reports

TikTok brushes off rumours of selling the app to billionaire Elon Musk
TikTok brushes off rumours of selling the app to billionaire Elon Musk 

Social media platform TikTok issues first statements on the reports about selling the app to Donald Trump's closest ally Elon Musk amid a potential ban threat.

According to BBC, the video-sharing platform has called the reports suggesting the sale of the social media company’s US operations to the richest person in the world "pure fiction.”

As the ban threat looms, Bloomberg reported that China is considering an option to sell its business in America to the Tesla owner if the US Supreme Court does not pause the ban.

Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reports that if the highest court upholds a ban on the app, a possible scenario considered by the Chinese official is to let Musk's X social media platform take control of TikTok's business in the US.

Meanwhile, reacting to the report, TikTok denied the claims about selling the app to any third party and assured that it would not sell its US operations.

A TikTok spokesperson told BBC News, “We can't be expected to comment on pure fiction.”

Moreover, the US Supreme Court is due to rule on the TikTok and ByteDance emergency plea to block or pause the ban law, asking the social media company to either sell its US operations or face a ban on January 19, 2025.