Elon Musk or Larry Ellison May Purchase TikTok, Trump Says

• President Donald Trump mentioned he can be open to Elon Musk or Larry Ellison shopping for TikTok.
• Trump beforehand floated a three way partnership, saying that the US ought to personal half of the app.
• Trump has signed an government order that provides TikTok one other 75 days to determine a brand new sport plan.

A day after his inauguration, President Donald Trump mentioned he’d be on board with Tesla CEO Elon Musk or Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison shopping for TikTok.

In a Tuesday press briefing saying a $500 billion synthetic intelligence three way partnership with Oracle, Trump mentioned he was open to the concept of Ellison or Musk shopping for TikTok.

When requested by a reporter if he can be open to Musk shopping for the app, he mentioned, “I might be, if he needed to purchase it, sure.”

“I would like Larry to purchase it, too,” he added.

Whereas Musk has in a roundabout way expressed curiosity in shopping for TikTok, he mentioned on X on Sunday that he has “been in opposition to a TikTok ban for a very long time” as a result of it “goes in opposition to freedom of speech.”

A handful of big-name buyers have proven curiosity in shopping for the app. “Shark Tank” investor Kevin O’Leary has mentioned that he, in collaboration with former Los Angeles Dodgers proprietor Frank McCourt, can be concerned about buying the app.

YouTuber MrBeast additionally mentioned in an X put up on January 13, “Okay nice, I will purchase Tik Tok so it does not get banned.” Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that the YouTuber was becoming a member of a bunch of buyers led by tech entrepreneur Jesse Tinsley, who’ve expressed curiosity in shopping for the app.

However in 2024, ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese language proprietor, mentioned it could quite shut down TikTok within the US than promote it.

For now, TikTok’s destiny within the US hangs within the stability after the Supreme Court docket on Friday upheld the divest-or-ban legislation. This legislation requires ByteDance to divest from the platform within the US, or cease working within the nation.

TikTok went darkish for its 170 million US customers on Saturday. However hours later, its operations had been restored.

Shortly after his inauguration, Trump signed an government order to pause the ban, which supplies TikTok one other 75 days to determine a sport plan.

Trump additionally recommended on Monday that the US ought to personal half of TikTok.

“So I feel, like a three way partnership, I feel we might have a three way partnership with the folks from TikTok. We’ll see what occurs,” Trump added, with out specifying who he needed to have as TikTok’s US associate.

Trump’s order to delay the TikTok ban has prompted some opposition from inside the GOP.

Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas — who sits on the Senate Choose Committee on Intelligence — and Sen. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska wrote in a joint assertion on Sunday that there’s “no authorized foundation” for TikTok to get an extension.

Within the assertion, the senators additionally lauded Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft for complying with the ban.

“President Trump mentioned he signed the chief order to ‘make a deal to guard our nationwide safety,'” Ian Swanson, Ricketts’ press secretary, informed BI.

“Senator Ricketts agrees that defending our nationwide safety is paramount and that may solely be carried out by ridding TikTok of all ties with Communist China,” Swanson added.

Representatives for Musk, Oracle, and Trump didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark from Enterprise Insider, despatched outdoors common enterprise hours.