US President Donald Trump has revealed that his administration is in discussions with four groups regarding the sale of Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok, as per a recent report by Reuters.

Elon Musk has dismissed speculation that he plans to buy TikTok, the popular short-video app facing a potential US ban over security concerns. His comments come as US lawmakers push for action against TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, over alleged security risks.

US President Donald Trump has said he would support Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla, if he decided to purchase the social media app TikTok. Trump’s remarks came as the platform, used by 170 million Americans, faces a potential ban unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells its US operations due to national security concerns.

Perplexity AI, a US-based search engine company, has submitted a bid to merge with TikTok US, as per a recent report by Reuters. The proposal, submitted to TikTok’s parent company ByteDance on Saturday, was first reported by CNBC and confirmed by a source familiar with the discussions.

A critical ruling that could shape the future of TikTok in the United States is expected from the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia by December 6. The case centres on a controversial law requiring ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, to divest its US operations by January 19, 2025, or face a nationwide ban.

TikTok is facing new legal challenges as 13 US states and Washington DC filed lawsuits accusing the platform of harming young users through addictive software and inadequate safety measures. 

The algorithm behind TikTok's content recommendations has once again drawn mainstream attention following the recent US ruling for ByteDance, its Chinese owner, to divest its US assets or risk a nationwide ban of the app. Here is a breakdown of how TikTok's algorithm operates and why it is generating so much discussion recently.

The U.S. House of Representatives has recently approved a bill that requires ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, to sell off its American assets within six months or risk being banned from operating in the country.