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THUMBNAIL

Agence France-Presse

<div><br/></div><div><br/></div><p>NEW YORK — TikTok on Tuesday labeled as &quot;pure fiction&quot; a report that China is exploring a potential sale of the video-sharing platform&#x27;s US operations to billionaire Elon Musk as the firm faces an American law requiring imminent Chinese divestment.</p><p>Citing anonymous people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg News had earlier reported that Chinese officials were considering selling the company&#x27;s US operations to Musk&#x27;s social media platform X.</p><p>The report outlined one scenario being discussed in Beijing where X would purchase TikTok from Chinese owner ByteDance and combine it with the platform formerly known as Twitter.</p><p>&quot;We cannot be expected to comment on pure fiction,&quot; a TikTok spokesperson told AFP.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/technology/2025/1/10/a-closer-look-at-tiktok-as-us-supreme-court-weighs-its-fate-1013">A closer look at TikTok as US Supreme Court weighs its fate</a></div><p>The report estimated the value of TikTok&#x27;s US operations at between $40 billion and $50 billion.</p><p>Although Musk is currently ranked as the world&#x27;s wealthiest person, Bloomberg said it was not clear how Musk could execute the transaction, or if he would need to sell other assets.</p><p>The US Congress passed a law last year that requires ByteDance to either sell its wildly popular platform or shut it down. It goes into effect on Sunday -- a day before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.</p><p>The US government alleges TikTok allows Beijing to collect data and spy on users and is a conduit to spread propaganda. China and ByteDance strongly deny the claims.</p><p>TikTok has <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2024/12/28/trump-asks-us-supreme-court-to-pause-law-threatening-tiktok-ban-0838">challenged the law</a>, taking an appeal all the way to the US Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments on Friday.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/business/08/07/20/microsoft-eyes-entire-operations-of-tiktok-in-talks-report">Microsoft eyes entire operations of TikTok in talks: report</a></div><p>At the hearing, a majority of the conservative and liberal justices on the nine-member bench appeared skeptical of arguments by a lawyer for TikTok that forcing a sale was a violation of First Amendment free speech rights.</p><p>Bloomberg characterized Beijing&#x27;s consideration of a possible Musk transaction as &quot;still preliminary,&quot; noting that Chinese officials have yet to reach a consensus on how to proceed.</p><p>Musk is a close ally of Trump and is expected to play an influential role in Washington in the coming four years.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/1/14/trump-unbound-america-braces-for-wild-dark-comeback-1036">Trump unbound: America braces for wild, dark comeback</a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/business/2024/11/13/trump-names-musk-to-efficiency-post-as-team-takes-shape-1026">Elon Musk: rocket man takes aim at Washington</a></div><p>He also runs electric car company Tesla, which has a major factory in China and counts the country as one of the automaker&#x27;s biggest markets.</p><p>Trump has repeatedly threatened to enact new tariffs on Chinese goods, which would expand a trade war begun in his first term and which was largely upheld, and in some cases supplemented, by outgoing President Joe Biden.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2024/12/17/one-billion-users-but-controversies-mount-up-for-tiktok-0619">One billion users, but controversies mount up for TikTok</a></div>

<p>TikTok on Tuesday labeled as "pure fiction" a report that China is exploring a potential sale of the video-sharing platform's US operations to billionaire Elon Musk as the firm faces an American law requiring imminent Chinese divestment.</p>

TikTok on Tuesday labeled as "pure fiction" a report that China is exploring a potential sale of the video-sharing platform's US operations to billionaire Elon Musk as the firm faces an American law requiring imminent Chinese divestment.

TikTok calls report of possible sale to Musk's X 'pure fiction'

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TikTok calls report of possible sale to Musk's X 'pure fiction'

Agence France-Presse

Published January 14, 2025 01:13 PM PHT

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Updated January 14, 2025 05:54 PM PHT

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