"I have not put in a bid for TikTok," Musk said a week after U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned he was open to Musk buying the ByteDance-owned app if he wanted to.
"I don't have any plans for what I would do if I had TikTok," Musk added, noting that he does not use the short video app personally and is not familiar with its format.
"I'm not eager to acquire TikTok. I don't usually acquire companies; it's quite rare," Musk said, mentioning that his billion-dollar purchase of the social media platform Twitter, now called X, was unusual. "I usually build companies from scratch," Musk explained.
The Republican president signed an executive order to delay enforcing a ban on the popular short-video app, which was set to be shut down on January 19.
ByteDance was given a January deadline to sell TikTok's U.S. assets or face a U.S. ban, following lawmakers' concerns that the app poses national security risks because China could force the company to share U.S. user data. TikTok has denied that it has ever shared or would share U.S. user data.
Apple and Google have not added TikTok back to their app stores since a U.S. law was enacted. TikTok announced on Friday that it is allowing U.S. Android users to download and access the app through package kits available on its website, as a way to bypass restrictions in the country.
Trump mentioned that he is in discussions with several parties about purchasing TikTok and expects to make a decision on the app's future this month. TikTok has around 170 million users in the U.S.
This week, the president signed an executive order to establish a sovereign wealth fund within the year, suggesting it might purchase TikTok.
ByteDance has previously denied any plans to sell TikTok.
Trump's efforts to save TikTok mark a change from his first term, when he tried unsuccessfully to ban the app over concerns that it was sharing Americans' personal data with the Chinese government.
Recently, Trump expressed a fondness for TikTok, crediting the app with helping him gain support from young voters in the 2024 presidential election.
ByteDance and TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours.
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Reporting by Gursimran Kaur in Bengaluru
Apple and Google have not returned TikTok to their app stores since a U.S. law took effect. TikTok said on Friday that it was allowing U.S. Android users to download and connect to the app through package kits on its website to bypass restrictions on the popular platform in the country.
Trump has mentioned that he was in discussions with several people about TikTok's purchase and would likely make a decision on the app's future this month. It has about 170 million American users.
This week, the president signed an executive order to create a sovereign wealth fund within the year, saying it could potentially buy TikTok.
ByteDance has previously denied any plans to sell TikTok.
Trump saving TikTok marks a change from his first term in office when he unsuccessfully tried to ban the app over concerns that the company was sharing Americans' personal information with the Chinese government.
More recently, Trump has said he has "a warm spot in my heart for TikTok," crediting the app with helping him gain support from young voters in the 2024 presidential election.
ByteDance and TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours.