As the “sell or ban” deadline inches closer, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew seems to have enlisted an unlikely ally. According to the Wall Street Journal, Shou, along with executives at ByteDance, initiated contact with Elon Musk fairly recently. It’s also reported that Shou and Musk have known each other for years.
Insiders with knowledge of the situation told the Wall Street Journal that they see Musk as a key conduit to the upcoming Trump administration.
Why did the TikTok CEO speak to Elon Musk?
These insiders claim that Shou asked Musk for his opinion on Trump’s upcoming administration and how that might impact potential tech policy.
But despite the huge, TikTok-shaped elephant in the room, these insiders report that Musk and Shou didn’t discuss the “sell or ban” saga directly.
Nonetheless, these insiders say that Shou has been in regular contact with ByteDance execs about the communication, leaving them “cautiously optimistic” about the future of TikTok.
While Trump was the first one to call for a TikTok ban back in 2020, he has since U-turned on the policy. On his campaign trail back in November, he pledged to “save TikTok” — though he didn’t elaborate exactly how he planned to do this.
But now that Shou has contacted his BFF, perhaps Trump will deliver some more decisive action.
