Elon Musk, the world’s richest person and a key advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, has stated that he has no interest in acquiring TikTok’s U.S. operations. His remarks, made during a videolink appearance at a German forum in late January, were released over the weekend.
“I haven’t placed a bid for TikTok, and I have no plans for what I’d do with it if I had it,” Musk said, emphasizing his lack of engagement with the platform.
TikTok faces potential bans in the U.S. due to national security concerns regarding its Chinese owner, ByteDance. However, in one of his first acts after taking office for a second term, Trump paused enforcement of the law that mandated TikTok’s divestiture. He later suggested that Musk could be a suitable buyer for the platform, though Musk declined the idea.
“I don’t use TikTok personally, so I’m not very familiar with it,” Musk said. “I’m not eager to acquire TikTok.”
Musk previously acquired Twitter (now X) for $44 billion in 2022, claiming it was necessary to protect free speech. However, critics argue that the platform has since seen a rise in hate speech and misinformation.
As the head of Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), Musk has been leading cost-cutting initiatives that include efforts to downsize federal agencies and remove employees who do not align with Trump’s policies. On Saturday, a U.S. judge issued an emergency order preventing his team from accessing Americans’ financial and personal data from the Treasury Department.
During his remarks in Germany, Musk also criticized Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, calling them “racism rebranded” and insisting he opposes discrimination of any kind. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has been aggressively dismantling DEI initiatives across federal institutions.
Musk has also drawn attention for expressing support for Germany’s far-right AfD party, a controversial stance in a country where discussions of nationalism remain highly sensitive due to its historical past.
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