TikTok claims that its possible sale to Elon Musk’s X network is “pure fiction”

TikTok He described as “pure fiction” information that China is evaluating a possible sale of its US branch to billionaire Elon Musk, at a time when it faces pressure from a law that requires it to separate itself from its Chinese parent company to continue operating in the United States.

Citing sources close to the matter, the Bloomberg News agency had reported that Chinese officials were considering selling the company’s US operations to Musk’s social network X.

According to the report, X’s intention to buy from the Chinese owner is being discussed in Beijing. ByteDance the subsidiary of TikTok in the United States to combine it with the social network formerly known as Twitter.

“We cannot be expected to comment on pure fiction,” a TikTok spokesperson told AFP on Tuesday.

Bloomberg argued that the value of TikTok’s US operations It is between 40,000 and 50,000 million dollars.

Although Musk is listed as the richest person in the world, Bloomberg highlighted that it is not clear how he could complete the purchase or if he should sell other assets to achieve it.

The United States Congress passed a law last year requiring ByteDance to sell the branch of its platform in the United States or else it would have to suspend its activity. The provision will go into effect on Sunday, one day before Donald Trump takes office.

The United States maintains that TikTok allows the Chinese government to collect data and spy on users and is a channel to spread propaganda. Beijing and ByteDance strongly deny these accusations.