Elon Musk has explicitly stated he has no plans to acquire TikTok and isn't part of any current acquisition offers for the platform. The Tesla CEO made these comments during a summit in late January.

Photo Credit: Debbie Rowe / CC by 4.0

"I have not put in a bid for TikTok," Musk clarified, adding that he doesn't personally use the app and isn't familiar with its format. He emphasized his preference for building companies from scratch rather than acquiring them, stating, "I'm not chomping at the bit to acquire TikTok, I do not acquire companies in general. It is quite rare."

While Musk focuses on his existing ventures like SpaceX, The Boring Company, Neuralink, and xAI, TikTok's parent company ByteDance faces significant challenges. The platform is currently working to circumvent potential App Store restrictions, including developing a side-loadable Android version.

The situation has attracted attention from various potential buyers. President Trump has mentioned ongoing talks with multiple interested parties and suggested TikTok's U.S. operations could become part of a proposed sovereign wealth fund. Other potential investors include Frank McCourt, Kevin O'Leary, Steven Mnuchin, and Perplexity AI, who have all expressed interest in acquiring TikTok's U.S. operations.

Under the recently signed TikTok ban, platform owners could face fines of $5,000 per download instance, making the platform's future in the U.S. market uncertain.

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