The TikTok app could be in danger in more ways than one. The imminent ban comes on January 19th, which would result in the app not being downloadable in the United States, and it would no longer be able to update. The ban, signed into law by President Joe Biden, would come into law the day before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
This morning, Elon Musk apparently has been in talks with ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok, to potentially buy the app. Musk has donated a lot of money to Trump’s 2024 presidential election campaign. He also bought Twitter a couple of years ago, which is worth about 80% less than what he bought it for.
The first way TikTok could survive is through the US Supreme Court. It’s been hearing arguments from ByteDance and the government regarding the ban and its constitutionality. Earlier in the case, politicians Ed Markey, Rand Paul, and Ro Khanna submitted an amicus brief asking for the Court to reverse the ban. The Court has until Sunday, January 19, the same day as the potential ban would take place to make a ruling.
Another way TikTok could be saved is through the Senate. Markey, a Democratic Senator from Massachusetts, introduced a bill to give ByteDance 270 more days to sell the company in the provisions given in the ban bill. Markey cited creators, small businesses, and communities as reasons to not ban the app.
This story will be updated based on breaking TikTok news.