Elon Musk has recently expressed that he is “not eager to take over TikTok.”
These comments were made during an interview at the WELT Economic Summit on January 28. A video of the interview was released today.
This interview took place following President Donald Trump’s postponement of legislation that would require TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to either sell the app or face a ban in the U.S. Reports at that time suggested that the Chinese government would consider a deal involving Musk, a noted ally of Trump, potentially acquiring TikTok. Trump even mentioned his preference for Musk or Oracle’s chairman, Larry Ellison, as potential buyers and signed an executive order to establish a sovereign wealth fund that could invest in the platform.
However, Musk clarified his stance by stating, “I have not made any bids for TikTok.”
“I don’t have any specific plans regarding what I’d do with TikTok,” Musk explained during the interview. “I suppose I’d examine the algorithm and evaluate its usefulness. Then, we could consider how to modify the algorithm to enhance productivity and ultimately benefit humanity.”
He also stated that he doesn’t personally use TikTok and is “not very familiar” with the app. Musk described his acquisition of Twitter (now called X) as an exception in his professional journey, noting that he generally prefers to build companies from the ground up.
Musk’s remarks about TikTok came roughly 20 minutes into the conversation, which initially revolved around his plans for a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) within the Trump administration. Musk and his associates have since gained control over various federal agencies and accessed significant amounts of sensitive data.
“When it comes to government, the main obstacle is navigating through bureaucracy,” he remarked. “Bureaucracy could be regarded as the second toughest challenge, with the ultimate challenge being the fight against entropy… Improving government is incredibly challenging.”
Compiled by Techarena.au.
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