What if Elon Musk bought TikTok in the United States

In the final days leading up to the transition of power in the United States, a decision looms that could impact the 170 million TikTok users in America.

The question is whether the social media platform will be shut down, sold, or if the Supreme Court will entertain an appeal by the Chinese company to delay or overturn the ruling. This decision is expected by Sunday, the 19th, which is the deadline for TikTok to comply with the law requiring its dissolution.

Currently, there are three possible outcomes: TikTok may begin a divestment process leading to its shutdown, the company could agree to a sale to another party, or the Supreme Court might overturn the ruling, uphold it, or extend the timeline for a decision.

The unfolding saga has led to various speculations, including the potential closure of the popular social network or the possibility that Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and owner of X (formerly Twitter), might purchase the company. There was even a humorous suggestion by the YouTuber Mr. Beast about buying TikTok to prevent its closure, which he tweeted on his X account:

However, TikTok has firmly dismissed this speculation as “pure fiction,” emphasizing that the decision now largely depends on negotiations between Chinese authorities and the U.S. government.

Let’s imagine for a moment, what if Elon Musk actually acquired TikTok in the U.S.?

A business of 789 million people

If this were to happen, Elon Musk would be in charge of two social networks reaching a combined 789 million people: 170 million in the U.S. with TikTok and 619 million globally with X, according to the latest Digital 2024 report by We Are Social (with 65 million users in the U.S. alone, the country with the highest usage of X worldwide).

This would significantly enhance Musk’s influence in the U.S., especially since he is set to be a key figure in Donald Trump’s administration, working alongside Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

“Together, these two outstanding Americans will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, eliminate excessive regulations, cut unnecessary spending, and restructure federal agencies, vital for the ‘Save America’ movement,” shared the president-elect on X:

Managing politics and public opinion

This scenario might seem contradictory given that the initial issue with TikTok was its perception as a threat to U.S. national security due to its ownership by the Chinese company ByteDance. The controversy began in early 2023 when the White House instructed federal agencies to remove the app from government devices within 30 days, citing allegations of Chinese espionage.

The situation escalated, culminating in demands for the social network’s divestment or dissolution. However, if Elon Musk were to acquire TikTok, it would result in a significant concentration of power, with one individual influencing effective policies while managing a social network expanding in both online sales with TikTok Shop and as an emerging search engine alternative.

Additionally, social networks owned by Meta have aligned ideologically with Trump’s liberalism by removing strict moderation systems and replacing them with a community notes model, similar to X.

What does this means for TikTok employees in the US?

TikTok employees in the United States are experiencing distressing times, as the deadline for the Chinese company to either shut down permanently or agree to sell the business to a third party expires next Sunday, January 19. There is a slight possibility that, before that date, the United States Supreme Court will consider the social network’s appeal of the ruling and either overturn the ban or at least provide a broader time frame until a definitive resolution is reached.

In the meantime, the company has issued an internal statement to its employees in the United States, which the media outlet The Verge was able to access. In this statement, the company attempts to reassure its staff, stating that “The bill is not written in a way that affects the entities through which you work, only the U.S. user experience.” However, the company empathizes with its employees, acknowledging, “We know it is unsettling not to know exactly what will happen next.”

The outcome of this situation will be revealed on Sunday night, so stay tuned for updates.