FACT CHECK: Did Elon Musk Tweet That He’s Going To Buy And Delete TikTok?

Christine Sellers | Fact Check Reporter

A post shared on Facebook purports Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk published a tweet suggesting he plans to buy and subsequently remove TikTok.

Verdict: False

The tweet is digitally fabricated. Musk has not indicated he would buy and delete TikTok.

Fact Check:

Musk has brought more than 50 software engineers from Tesla to work at Twitter, CNBC reported. Musk has begun to initiate layoffs at the social media giant, with most employees being notified by email not to go to the office on Friday, The New York Times reported.

The Facebook post purports Musk tweeted that he was going to buy the social media platform TikTok. “Now I’m going to buy tiktok and delete it haha,” the purported tweet reads.

The tweet is digitally fabricated. An advanced Twitter search indicates Musk did not publish a statement saying he was going to buy and delete the popular social media platform on his verified account.

There are no credible news reports suggesting Musk published a statement saying he’d buy and delete TikTok. Likewise, TikTok has neither mentioned the claim via a press release nor its verified social media accounts.

Musk recently acquired Twitter for $44 billion, the New York Times reported. Since acquiring the platform, Musk has begun making various changes, including firing CEO Parag Agrawal and floating changes to the verification system, according to Bloomberg. Musk has also mentioned setting up a “content moderation council” of diverse viewpoints to review account reinstatements. (RELATED: Did Donald Trump Release This Statement About Elon Musk’s Purchase Of Twitter?)

Check Your Fact has contacted a TikTok spokesperson for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.

This is not the first time Musk has been the subject of a false social media claim. Check Your Fact previously debunked a digitally fabricated image of a New York Times article purporting Musk would restore all banned Twitter accounts, except for former President Donald Trump’s.

Christine Sellers

Fact Check Reporter

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