TikTok has dismissed reports suggesting that Chinese officials are considering selling its U.S. operations to Elon Musk as "pure fiction." This response follows a Bloomberg News article claiming that Beijing might contemplate such a sale if TikTok cannot avert an impending U.S. ban.
The U.S. Supreme Court is currently deliberating on a law that mandates TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, to either divest its U.S. operations by January 19, 2025, or face a nationwide ban. The law stems from national security concerns, with U.S. lawmakers alleging that TikTok could be exploited by the Chinese government for espionage or political manipulation—claims that TikTok has consistently denied.