Elon Musk Or MrBeast? Netizens Are Divided Over Who Should Own TikTok US Amid Upcoming Ban
Amid the upcoming TikTok ban in the US, rumor mills are churning overtime. Reportedly, Chinese officials are considering selling the app’s American business to X/Twitter’s billionaire owner, Elon Musk. The US Supreme Court upheld the bill signed by outgoing president Joe Biden into law in April 2024.
Per the bill, ByteDance, the parent firm of TikTok, has until January 19 to divest its business operations in the country or face a ban. With the looming deadline, Bloomberg reported that the owners are planning to sell the US biz to Elon Musk. However, per Variety, a TikTok spokesperson stated that the news was pure fiction. With Musk’s EV business in China declining, his overtaking the TikTok operations in America will only fuel the conspiracist that the world’s richest billionaire is puppeteered by the (you know who).
Chinese officials are mulling a potential option that involves the sale of TikTok’s US operations to billionaire Elon Musk if the company fails to fend off a potential ban, Bloomberg News reported. More here: https://t.co/XjQ2QL9KMf pic.twitter.com/7N57TQQcyv
— Reuters Business (@ReutersBiz) January 14, 2025
Meanwhile, YouTuber MrBeast has thrown his hat in the ring. Taking to X/Twitter, the 26-year-old American internet personality, James Stephen Donaldson, aka MrBeast, stated that he will buy TikTok and save it from getting banned.
Okay fine, I’ll buy Tik Tok so it doesn’t get banned
— MrBeast (@MrBeast) January 14, 2025
Netizens are divided over the TikTok ownership feud in the US, with several in favor of the ban. Here’s how the internet reacted.
“I just bought TikTok and I’m giving it away to one lucky subscriber”
— Dom (@xmarksthespotbr) January 14, 2025
If Elon buys TikTok he will rename it to XVideos
— Dr. Parik Patel, BA, CFA, ACCA Esq. (@ParikPatelCFA) January 14, 2025
I think it’s a winner @MrBeast pic.twitter.com/w0B5T0npOI
— Adam Collett (@AdamCollettX) January 14, 2025
Mr Beast’s “how much is it” moment.
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) January 14, 2025
No, just ban it! 🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/0lZ46V0qz4
— bstrat515 👑💛 (@bstrat515) January 14, 2025
Going band for band with Elon yeah?
— Overtime Gaming (@OvertimeGG) January 14, 2025
Elon acquiring the infinity stones of social media
plz Reddit next
— mistor.sol 👁️🗨️ (@mrsolana69) January 14, 2025
Buy TikTok and call it Vine. Thank you 🤝
— inkko (@inkko44) January 14, 2025
See Also: Trump Tells SCOTUS That Only He Can Save TikTok From Ban
See Also: MrBeast Reveals The First Thing Billionaire Elon Musk Said To Him: ‘Do They Still Call It Twitter?’
Cover: Patrick Gawande / Mashable India