The TikTok app dismissed rumors about selling its US operations to Elon Musk and joining Donald Trump’s new administration as “pure fiction.”
The social media platform may face a ban in the US soon if the Supreme Court does not overturn a law passed by Congress in 2024, which requires ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, to sell its assets to American companies.
The deadline expires on January 19th.
China’s senior executives are reportedly considering emergency strategies for the app, potentially involving Elon Musk, who has expressed opposition to the app ban and is set to lead the efficiency department in the upcoming Trump administration.
“We cannot provide feedback on a completely fictional story,” a TikTok spokesperson told the AFP news agency.
Two additional Chinese apps, Xiaohongshu and Lemon8, have risen in popularity in the US as American users seek alternatives to the ByteDance app. The hashtag #tiktokrefugee on Xiaohongshu has already garnered over 25 million views.
TikTok has more than 170 million users in the United States at present.