Tech billionaires including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos were given prime positions at Donald Trump's inauguration Monday, in an unprecedented demonstration of their power and influence on US politics.

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 20: Guests including Mark Zuckerberg, Lauren Sanchez, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai and Elon Musk attend the Inauguration of Donald J. Trump in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Photo by Julia Demaree Nikhinson – Pool/Getty Images.

ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, is required to sell the app to a U.S.-based buyer or face a nationwide ban.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is open to Elon Musk buying TikTok, and floated a proposal that the United States jointly own half the company. “I would be, if he wanted to buy it, yes,” Trump told reporters at a White House event announcing a new AI infrastructure private sector partnership with tech leaders,

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would be open to the possibility of having his billionaire ally Elon Musk buy the U.S. operations of TikTok in his latest comments on the popular social media platform.