According to a Bloomberg report, Chinese officials are considering an option that will enable Elon Musk to acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations and prevent a ban on the social media platform. The outlet reports it’s one of several options being explored while the U.S. Supreme Court decides whether to uphold a law forcing ByteDance to divest TikTok’s U.S. business by January 19th. Just in: Chinese officials are considering a possible scenario where Elon Musk could acquire TikTok's U.S. operations if the company is unable to prevent a ban on the popular short-video app Via: Bloomberg pic.twitter.com/VyOl0LsiKR — The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) January 14, 2025 Per Bloomberg: Beijing officials strongly prefer that TikTok remains under the ownership of parent ByteDance Ltd., the people say, and the company is contesting the impending ban with an appeal to the US Supreme Court. But the justices signaled during arguments on Jan. 10 that they are likely to uphold the law. Senior Chinese officials had already begun to debate contingency plans for TikTok as part of an expansive discussion on how to work with Donald Trump’s administration, one of which involves Musk, said the people, asking not to be identified revealing confidential discussions. A potential high-profile deal with one of Trump’s closest allies holds some appeal for the Chinese government, which is expected to have some say over whether TikTok is ultimately sold, said the people. Musk spent more than $250 million supporting Trump’s re-election, and has been tapped for a prominent role in improving government efficiency after the Republican takes office. Under one scenario that’s been discussed by the Chinese government, Musk’s X — the former Twitter — would take control of TikTok US and run the businesses together, the people said. With more than 170 million users in the US, TikTok could bolster X’s efforts to attract advertisers. Musk also founded a separate artificial intelligence company, xAI, that could benefit from the huge amounts of data generated from TikTok. Would you support Elon Musk acquiring TikTok? pic.twitter.com/pm2GkvHncZ — Eric Spracklen (@EricSpracklen) January 14, 2025 “The ban is set to go in effect later this month if legal challenges are unsuccessful and the U.S. operation is not sold,” journalist Nick Sortor noted. JUST IN: TikTok’s parent company is evaluating a potential option for Elon Musk to acquire TikTok’s American operation, per Bloomberg If true, that would be EPIC! The ban is set to go in effect later this month if legal challenges are unsuccessful and the U.S. operation is… pic.twitter.com/V5AHroWupF — Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 14, 2025 A TikTok spokesperson told CNBC the report is “pure fiction.” “We can’t be expected to comment on pure fiction,” the spokesperson said. BREAKING: Chinese officials are evaluating a potential option that involves Elon Musk acquiring TikTok's US operations, per Bloomberg. TikTok, however, told Variety the sale to Musk is “pure fiction”. — unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) January 14, 2025 CNBC reports: Last week, the Supreme Court held oral arguments about the law potentially banning TikTok, which President Joe Biden signed in April. TikTok’s legal team argued that the law violates the free-speech rights of the millions of users in the U.S. while the U.S. government said that ByteDance’s ownership of TikTok poses a national security risk. With the Supreme Court appearing to side with the government, TikTok could turn to Trump, when his second term begins on Jan. 20. Trump, who favored a TikTok ban during his first administration, has since flip-flopped on the matter. Late last month, he urged the Supreme Court to intervene and forcibly delay implementation of Biden’s ban to give him time to find a “political resolution.”