Shou Zi Chew, CEO of ByteDance-owned TikTok, has sought advice on US issues from Elon Musk, a key adviser to President-elect Donald Trump.
The Wall Street Journal reported the news on Saturday, citing sources familiar with the situation.
The CEO of Tesla has emerged as one of President-elect Donald Trump’s closest aides.
According to the source, the CEOs have not discussed concrete strategies to keep TikTok operational in the United States. The top leadership at ByteDance remains cautiously optimistic.
Before the US election, ByteDance officials spoke with individuals connected to both Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
TikTok is suing the Biden administration, invoking the First Amendment, against a new regulation signed by President Biden that will ban the social media platform in the US if China-owned ByteDance does not divest by January.
In addition, there are allegations that Musk joined President-elect Donald Trump on his call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Earlier this week, The Information reported that Musk was there on the phone when Google CEO Sundar Pichai called to congratulate him.
Trump, who unsuccessfully attempted to ban TikTok in 2020, has stated that if won in November, he would not allow TikTok to be banned.
According to the Journal, both executives have not discussed concrete steps to keep TikTok operational in the United States.
Chew has kept ByteDance’s top leadership informed of the negotiations, and executives are cautiously optimistic about finding a way forward.
We earlier reported that Canada has ordered the closure of ByteDance’s operations in Canada, notably the offices of TikTok Technology Canada, Inc., citing national security concerns.
