After X, could Elon Musk afford another social network? According to the Bloomberg agency, the billionaire is in fact in discussions to acquire the American activities of TikTok, already under fire from criticism in France. “Senior Chinese officials had already begun discussing contingency plans for TikTok as part of a wide-ranging discussion about ways to work with Donald Trump’s administration, one of which involves Musk,” sources said. confidential to Bloomberg.
But why these discussions, which the agency describes as “preliminary”? Quite simply because the future of TikTok on American soil may be threatened, and very soon. Indeed, in April 2024, the American Congress voted by a large majority a law against TikTok, which obliges ByteDance – owner of the platform criticized for its impact on the presidential election in Romania – to sell the American share of the social network’s activities, under penalty of being banned in the United States.
ALSO READ On TikTok, the omnipotence of the “trend” A decision that the firm is far from taking lightly: Uncle Sam’s country has 170 million active users, or around 11% of TikTok’s total users (1.56 billion in 2023 according to a report published by the We are social agency and the company Meltwater). There is no question, therefore, of letting such a significant financial windfall pass by. According to Bloomberg, the value of TikTok’s operations in the United States is between $40 billion and $50 billion.
Donald Trump opposed to a ban
The ban (already in effect in Albania since December) was even debated in the US Supreme Court, which rules on all cases falling under the Constitution or laws of the United States. After hearing the arguments of both parties on Friday, January 10, it appears, however, that the judges are not opposed to banning the platform on January 19, indicates Bloomberg. “According to a scenario envisaged by the Chinese government, […] would take control of American TikTok and manage the two companies together,” specifies the American media.
ALSO READ “TikTok participated in the death of our daughter” But Elon Musk could, in this endeavor, confront a friend who has suddenly become an enemy: Donald Trump. The future American president, whose inauguration will take place on Monday January 20, recently admitted to having a “weakness” for the platform, which he had already tried to ban in 2020, in the name of national security.
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A few days before his inauguration, the Republican asked the Supreme Court to suspend the law to give him time, once in the White House, to “seek a negotiated outcome that would avoid a nationwide shutdown of TikTok “. For its part, TikTok denies any negotiations, citing “pure fiction” according to its spokesperson, this Tuesday, January 14.
Several buyers have come forward, such as the American billionaire owner of Olympique de Marseille, Frank McCourt, or Donald Trump’s former American Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin. The project seems on the verge of coming to fruition, but time is running out, since Trump will return to power on January 20.
