Chinese officials are reportedly exploring a backup plan for TikTok after the Supreme Court appeared unlikely to save it from a US ban. With TikTok’s legal options nearly exhausted, multiple news outlets are reporting that China is considering an option it previously said it wouldn’t: letting ByteDance sell the app.

After years of rejecting the idea of a sale of TikTok’s US assets to an American buyer in order to avert a ban, China and ByteDance may have found an owner they could live with: Elon Musk.

Chinese government officials have reportedly discussed a scenario where ByteDance sells TikTok's United States arm to Elon Musk, should the Supreme Court

Business magnate Elon Musk is the richest man in the world, starting 2025 with a net worth of around $425 billion. That dwarfs the net worth of Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, who weighs in at around $241 billion.

The future of TikTok hangs in the balance this week as the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) prepares to issue a verdict on banning the platform. For months, speculation has been rising about what will become of the popular content creation app that has launched many viral videos and created entire careers.

For the Chinese authorities, selling TikTok to Elon Musk might mean handing the platform over to an ally whose business empire is heavily dependent on the Chinese market, while also being someone whose opinions are given significant weight by future U.

Chinese officials are reportedly discussing the possibility of Bytedance selling TikTok’s US operations to Elon Musk. Wedbush Securities’ Dan Ives explains why Musk could be the most likely choice if