The TikTok ban is fast approaching and is expected to go into full effect on Jan. 19, 2025. While there’s ongoing debate about whether the incoming Trump administration can reverse it, uncertainty remains about what the ban even entails. However, according to NPR, there is an apparent loophole to save TikTok: if the platform sells off its U.S. operations, it could live to see another day. Consequently, names like Elon Musk and Mr. Beast have been floated as potential buyers who might make the deal happen.
In the mid-2010s, social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and even Snapchat coexisted, each occupying a slightly different niche. For a brief moment, it seemed Silicon Valley had cracked the code of social media harmony. Then TikTok arrived, disrupting the landscape in a way no competitor could replicate. But the app’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party through its parent company ByteDance raised national security concerns, leading the U.S. government to pursue a ban to protect citizens from potential data mining by a foreign state.
Recently, Bloomberg reported that ByteDance is considering relinquishing its U.S. operations to Elon Musk. However, TikTok representatives immediately shut down the notion, telling Variety in a brief statement: “We can’t be expected to comment on pure fiction.” Musk, known for his frequent and candid social media activity, has remained silent on the matter.
Another obvious contender would be Mark Zuckerberg, but this also seems unlikely. Meta, Zuckerberg’s company, stands to benefit the most in TikTok’s absence. In fact, according to Business Insider, Meta was behind efforts to tarnish TikTok’s reputation through a Republican consulting firm that pushed narratives about the platform being harmful to children and teens. Despite past warnings from figures like Marjorie Taylor Greene about Zuckerberg potentially buying TikTok, such a move seems improbable given Meta’s vested interest in TikTok’s downfall.
However, recent comments on Joe Rogan’s podcast suggest that Zuckerberg may lean even further to the right by removing all safeguards on his platforms. This raises questions about how he plans to make his apps safe for younger Americans or differentiate them from TikTok. But I digress.
The final name being thrown around is Mr. Beast, who recently posted on X expressing his willingness to buy TikTok if no one else does. However, with TikTok allegedly valued between $20 billion and $50 billion, even if Mr. Beast liquidated his entire net worth and secured generous financing, such a purchase seems highly unlikely.
As things stand, there are no clear candidates or visible pathways to preserve TikTok’s usability in America. Americans love the app, with an entire generation viewing it as their primary platform for self-expression — something the toxicity of X or the artificiality of Instagram cannot replicate. Hopefully, a resolution can be reached soon.
Published: Jan 14, 2025 2:02 PM UTC