Billionaire Musk is not interested in acquiring TikTok

Mr. Musk’s comments, made in late January 2025, were published on February 8 by The WELT Group, a division of German media conglomerate Axel Springer SE. Mr. Musk had previously attended a conference hosted by the company via an online format.

“I have not made any offer to buy TikTok,” Musk said, a week after US President Donald Trump said he would welcome Musk buying the ByteDance-owned app if he were interested in doing so.

However, the head of the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said he does not use the short video app and is not familiar with its format.

President Trump previously signed an executive order to delay the TikTok ban, which was scheduled to take effect on January 19. ByteDance was required to sell TikTok’s US assets by a January deadline or face a ban in the US.

US lawmakers are concerned that TikTok poses a national security risk from the Chinese government being able to force the company to share user data in the US.

However, TikTok has denied this allegation and affirmed that it has never and will never share US users' data.

President Trump revealed that he is in talks with multiple parties regarding the acquisition of TikTok and may make a decision on the future of the app this month. TikTok currently has about 170 million users in the US.

Trump’s move on TikTok marks a significant shift from his first term, when he tried to ban the app. Trump has recently expressed sympathy for TikTok, acknowledging that the app has helped him attract young voters in the 2024 presidential election.