US President Donald Trump holding a press conference at the White House on the 21st regarding investments in AI infrastructure./UPI Yonhap News,
, ‘On the 21st, US President Donald Trump stated that he would be open to allowing his close associate Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, to acquire TikTok. The Chinese-made social media platform TikTok has become popular in the US, with over 170 million users, but is at risk of business suspension due to concerns about US user data being leaked.’,
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, ‘After concluding a press conference at the White House about investments in AI infrastructure in the US, Trump was asked if Musk could acquire TikTok, to which he responded, “If he wants to buy it, I’m open.” Rumors of Musk acquiring TikTok surfaced recently amid the impending service suspension due to the ‘TikTok Ban Act.’ Implemented in April last year, the TikTok Ban Act stated that if TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, did not sell its US business rights to an American company within 270 days, the service would be banned in the US. The deadline for the sale was the 19th. At the time, Bloomberg reported, citing multiple sources, that “the Chinese authorities were considering selling the US business rights of TikTok to Musk,” which TikTok denied as “completely fictitious.” However, despite TikTok’s denial, Trump implied that there was a possibility that Musk could acquire a stake in TikTok.’,
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, ‘Trump then pointed to Larry Ellison, the chairman of the software company Oracle, who attended the press conference, saying, “I also wish Larry would buy it (TikTok).” While ByteDance has maintained that it has no intention of selling TikTok, the possibility of a sale has emerged as the reality of business suspension looms.’,
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, ‘On January 20th, Trump issued an executive order delaying the implementation of the TikTok Ban Act by 75 days, temporarily relieving pressure on TikTok. However, he also stressed that in order for TikTok to continue operating in the US, an American company must take a 50% stake in the US business rights. He further stated, “If China refuses the deal, it will be regarded as a hostile act, and tariffs could be imposed, potentially reaching 100%.” TikTok briefly suspended its service on the night of the 18th and resumed it on the 19th. Following Trump’s executive order, it has been operating normally.’,
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