Chinese officials are considering Tesla CEO Elon Musk as a potential buyer for TikTok’s U.S. operations, as the social media platform faces a Jan. 19 deadline to divest or shut down.
The discussions, though preliminary, envision a potential scenario where Musk’s X platform could take over TikTok’s U.S. operations, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing sources and estimates, valuing the deal between $40 billion to $50 billion. The move would combine TikTok’s 170 million U.S. users with X’s advertising reach.
Beijing officials, who retain influence through a “golden share” in ByteDance’s Chinese affiliate, see Musk as an attractive option because of his existing relationships in China through Tesla’s Shanghai factory and his close ties to President-elect Donald Trump, the report said.
Chinese officials are considering Tesla CEO Elon Musk as a potential buyer for TikTok’s U.S. between $40 billion to $50 billion.
