Elon Musk, the world’s richest person and a prominent counsellor to US President Donald Trump, stated on Saturday that he had no interest in owning TikTok’s business in the United States. “I have not bid for TikTok, and I have no plans for what I would do if I had TikTok,” Musk said in comments made via videolink at a German forum in late January and revealed over the weekend. TikTok is facing a US regulation that requires the firm to be separated from its Chinese owner, ByteDance, or be banned in the US due to national security worries about the data it collects on users.
In one of his first acts as president, Trump placed a halt to enforcement of the rule that would have effectively made TikTok illegal in the country a day before assuming office for a second term. Soon after, Trump stated that he would be open to Musk, the owner of social networking platform X, Tesla, and a number of other companies, purchasing the platform. Musk, on the other hand, has stated that he does not intend to acquire the company.
“I don’t use TikTok personally, so, you know, I’m not that familiar with it,” he told me. “I’m not chomping at the bit to acquire TikTok.” Musk purchased social media company Twitter, which he renamed X, for $44 billion in 2022, claiming that he was doing so to protect “free speech.”
Since his takeover, rights activists say there has been an increase in hate speech and misinformation on the network. Elon Musk was a key financial booster of Trump’s presidential campaign and is now in charge of the US president’s budget-cutting plans.
His so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) has targeted a number of federal government agencies and regulators, with the apparent goal of shutting them down and terminating employees, particularly those who disagree with Trump’s political views.
On Saturday, a US judge granted an emergency injunction prohibiting Musk’s government reform team from accessing personal and financial data for millions of Americans housed at the Treasury Department, according to court records.
Musk also criticised Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts, which are intended to help historically oppressed and underprivileged communities, during his speech at the German gathering. “DEI is simply racism rebranded,” he explained. “I’m against racism and sexism no matter who it’s directed against.”
US authorities have been rushing to implement Trump’s assault on DEI across the government bureaucracy, eliminating training programs, cancelling grants, and laying off hundreds of staff. In Germany, Musk has expressed strong support for the far-right anti-immigrant AfD party, which is a political taboo in a country where the Nazi past is still a sensitive issue.
