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Elon Musk Declines Interest in Purchasing TikTok

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Billionaire Elon Musk stated that he has no interest in acquiring TikTok, the popular short-video app that has faced scrutiny in the U.S. due to national security concerns over its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. His remarks were made in late January during a summit hosted by The WELT Group, part of Axel Springer SE, and were released online on Saturday.

Musk’s comments came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump indicated he would be open to Musk purchasing TikTok. However, Musk emphasized that he has not made any bids for the platform and has no plans for managing TikTok if he were to acquire it. “I don’t use TikTok personally and I’m not familiar with its format,” Musk said, adding that acquiring companies is not his usual approach, as he typically prefers building businesses from the ground up.

This week, TikTok has attempted to bypass restrictions by enabling U.S. Android users to download the app via package kits from its website, as Apple and Google have yet to reinstate TikTok to their app stores following the implementation of a new U.S. law.

The U.S. government has raised concerns that TikTok could potentially share data with the Chinese government, prompting lawmakers to demand the app’s sale or face a ban. While TikTok has denied these allegations, its future remains uncertain.

President Trump, who has signed an executive order to potentially buy TikTok through a sovereign wealth fund, has shown a new interest in the app after previously attempting to block it. Despite past attempts to ban TikTok over security concerns, Trump has more recently expressed a positive view of the app, citing its influence on younger voters.

TikTok Allows US Android Users to Download App Through Its Website

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On Friday, TikTok announced it would enable U.S. Android users to download the app directly from its website using package kits. This move aims to bypass the ongoing restrictions on the platform in the U.S., where Apple and Google have not reinstated TikTok to their app stores.

Since January 19, a new U.S. law has required TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to either sell the app or face a potential ban due to national security concerns. Although President Donald Trump signed an executive order that delayed enforcement of the law by 75 days, discussions continue regarding the future of TikTok, which has around 170 million U.S. users.

Trump also signed an order to create a sovereign wealth fund, which could be used to potentially purchase TikTok. U.S. officials have raised concerns about the potential misuse of American data under ByteDance’s ownership.

While some lawmakers argue in favor of banning TikTok, citing security risks, free speech advocates have opposed such measures. TikTok counters that its content recommendation system and user data are stored in the U.S. on cloud servers operated by Oracle. The company also maintains that decisions regarding content moderation for American users are made in the U.S.

Google Plans to Appeal App Store Ruling to US Appeals Court

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Lawyers representing Alphabet’s Google and Epic Games are preparing to face off before the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in California on Monday. The legal battle comes as Google seeks to overturn a 2023 jury verdict and an order from US District Judge James Donato that mandates the company to overhaul its app store practices. Google has argued that the judge’s decision in favor of Epic Games was based on legal errors, which it claims unfairly benefited the Fortnite maker.

The case stems from a 2020 lawsuit filed by Epic Games, in which the company accused Google of monopolizing the Android app ecosystem. Epic alleged that Google restricted how consumers could access apps and make in-app transactions, stifling competition in the process. A jury in San Francisco sided with Epic in 2023, finding that Google had engaged in anti-competitive behavior, and Judge Donato subsequently ordered the company to implement changes to restore market competition.

As part of the court’s ruling, Google was directed to allow users to download alternative app stores through its Play Store and make its app catalog accessible to competing app stores. These reforms were intended to open up the Android ecosystem to more competition. However, the enforcement of this order has been put on hold while the 9th Circuit considers Google’s appeal.

Google contends that its Play Store is already in competition with Apple’s App Store, and the company claims that Judge Donato allowed Epic Games to present a biased argument in court. Specifically, Google argues that the trial judge allowed Epic to mislead the jury by asserting that Google and Apple do not compete in app distribution and in-app payments, which Google believes was a key point in the case’s outcome. As the appeal progresses, the legal battle could have significant implications for how app stores operate on both Android and iOS platforms.