TikTok has called a report that China is considering allowing the sale of the social network’s US operations to Elon Musk “pure fiction.”
The company’s comments came in response to a Bloomberg report that Chinese officials are considering an option to sell its American business to the world’s richest person if the US Supreme Court upholds the ban on the app.
Supreme Court justices are expected to rule on a law that would ban TikTok in the US or sell its operations in the country to an American investor.
TikTok has repeatedly said it will not sell its US business.
“We cannot be expected to comment on pure fiction,” a TikTok spokesperson told BBC News.
Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that one possible scenario being considered by Chinese officials would be for Musk’s X social media platform to take control of TikTok’s US operations.
The US government has argued that without the sale, China could use TikTok as a tool for spying and political manipulation.
The company has repeatedly denied any potential influence from the Chinese Communist Party and said the law violates users’ First Amendment free speech rights.
