Imagine this: You too can dream of owning TikTok. Just stand tall and declare, “I wish to purchase TikTok!”
Suddenly, you’re in the running to acquire TikTok.
Interestingly, my boss, Henry Blodget, has floated the idea of pooling resources to make an offer for TikTok. Henry is no stranger to ambitious proposals; he once aimed to buy Yahoo without the necessary funds.
Before diving deeper, let’s acknowledge the reality. To buy TikTok’s U.S. operations from ByteDance, its current owner, several steps must be taken:
Moreover, assembling the required financial resources is a formidable challenge. ByteDance’s financial details are not fully transparent, making the potential sale price a matter of speculation. Estimates have varied widely, suggesting a price tag anywhere from $40 billion to possibly hundreds of billions.
Given that ByteDance already has U.S.-based investors, they would likely be the first considered to acquire the spun-off entity.
But if we’re to speculate on another potential buyer for TikTok, I have an intriguing suggestion.
However, this idea faces a significant obstacle: it would necessitate a time machine.
Bear with me for a moment. Under my proposal, which admittedly is more complex than simply raising funds, Elon Musk would construct a time machine and travel back to early 2022.
You might remember Elon Musk from that time: the world’s wealthiest individual, celebrated and admired in the tech and business spheres, despite some controversies. Musk is often hailed as the pioneer of electric cars and space exploration, though these claims are debatable.
Musk would be an excellent candidate to take over TikTok’s U.S. operations. He could contribute a substantial portion of the necessary funds himself, and investors would likely be eager to support the rest.
The pitch is straightforward: Elon Musk, the visionary behind electric cars and space travel, is perfectly suited to manage a video app popular with teenagers.
This argument would be compelling even now, in 2024, if Musk hadn’t already invested $44 billion in Twitter. His tenure at Twitter has demonstrated challenges in managing a consumer app, disappointing even his staunchest supporters.
Musk’s experience at Twitter, now referred to as X, highlights his struggles with products centered on human connection and communication, which require a different set of skills than those needed for engineering feats.
Some might argue that Musk’s focus on Twitter, driven by his personal use and influence on the platform, led to misguided decisions. This suggests he might actually be a suitable owner for TikTok, given his lack of involvement in short video content, potentially offering a fresh perspective.
However, this line of thinking is almost as fanciful as the time machine concept.
By 2024, Musk’s actions have revealed him as a less-than-ideal candidate to run a social network.
So, the question remains: Are there any better ideas out there?