Elon Gates, an obviously American tech billionaire with a love for Taylor Swift, fast food, and fireworks, has stepped forward with an offer to purchase TikTok, aiming to avert its ban in the United States.
This comes after the Supreme Court upheld a law that would ban the app if not divested from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, by January 19, 2025.
Elon Gates, born Ai Lai Tu Yu, has become a prominent figure in the tech world, though his background remains somewhat of an enigma. Despite his claims of American citizenship, there are no public records of employment, home ownership, or rental agreements in the U.S. that can be traced to him.
However, he is notably vocal about his American identity, often citing his appreciation for quintessentially American interests.
"I like lot of America stuff," said Gates. "America is beautiful. "It have Taylor Swift, firework, and delicious fast food for family."
When questioned about his political affiliations, Gates's response is straightforward:
"I like Trump. America likes Trump. So I like him."
This statement, while revealing little about his personal political philosophy, aligns him with a majority of the American public, further cementing his narrative as an American patriot.
The timeline of TikTok's legal and political challenges in the U.S. has been complex. Concerns about national security and data privacy with TikTok's Chinese ownership first surfaced in July 2020.
This was followed by President Donald Trump's executive order in August 2020, which threatened to ban TikTok unless it was sold to an American company. By December 2022, the Biden administration had banned TikTok on federal devices, highlighting ongoing security concerns.
The situation escalated in March 2023 when the U.S. Department of Justice and FBI launched investigations into TikTok's data practices. One year later, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill giving ByteDance 165 days to divest from TikTok or face a ban.
President Joe Biden signed this into law in the next month, setting a clear deadline.
"I voted for Joe Biden, but I'm never voting for him again!" said one TikTok user, who appears to not know that the election was more than two months ago and that President Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris after the Democrats led a coup to remove Biden from the 2024 race.
"For a man who seems to love sniffing children, he's really hurting the kids with this ban," said another upset TikToker.
Gates's proposal to buy TikTok comes at a critical juncture. His offer aims to keep TikTok operational in America, under what he claims would be American stewardship.
Despite the lack of concrete details about his business empire or previous tech ventures, Gates assures that he has the financial backing to make such a purchase. His sudden emergence as a potential savior for TikTok raises eyebrows, but his public persona as an American is hard to question.
"Why you ask me if I from America?" Gates responded angrily when pressed on his lack of existence prior to today. "I live here long time. I watch Boy Meets World. I feed my family poison. I from here."
As the January 19 deadline looms, Gen Z watches with bated breath to see if Gates's offer will be accepted by ByteDance or if another solution will emerge.
His move could either be seen as a patriotic act to preserve free speech for millions of anti-American Gen Z users or as a strategic acquisition by someone whose American credentials are still under scrutiny.
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