TikTok may be handed over to Elon Musk if ByteDance fails to maintain its operations in the United States (US) following the ban by the US government.
According to Bloomberg, China is reportedly considering selling TikTok's US operations, with a potential merger with the X platform (Twitter).
Musk's close ties to Chinese officials through Tesla make him a preferred candidate, and ByteDance even sees him as a strategic entrepreneur.
However, Beijing, which holds a "golden share" in ByteDance, must approve the sale of TikTok's algorithm recommendations.
Strict export regulations also strengthen their control over the future of the app.
Meanwhile, Trump is racing against time to delay the TikTok ban scheduled to begin on January 19, opening up last-minute negotiations in the hope of keeping the app in the US.
With TikTok's US value estimated at between $40 billion and $50 billion, the question that arises is how Musk will finance this purchase while Twitter's $44 billion in debt still haunts it?
