From ‘probing minds’ to verified account: how Elon Musk’s stance on TikTok shifted
The billionaire’s surprising return to TikTok reveals his evolving tech diplomacy, with his account quickly gaining 120,000 followers
Billionaire Elon Musk seems to have embraced TikTok, the world’s most popular short video site, more than two years after he said he stopped using the platform, as he felt its artificial intelligence algorithm was “probing” his mind.
A verified @elonmusk handle recently posted a video on the site run by China’s ByteDance, signalling a truce – or perhaps a strategic surrender – to the platform’s massive global reach. The account features the same profile picture as Musk’s account on X, the social media platform he acquired in 2022. The TikTok account has gained nearly 120,000 followers in just a week.
The video, which starts with Musk saying “we’re gotta be excited about the future”, contained footage from his technology empire, spanning from SpaceX rockets to Starlink satellites and from Tesla cars to robots.
It was captioned “Ad astra”, which means “to the stars” in Latin, and included a rocket emoji.
Musk’s embrace of TikTok comes as SpaceX recently filed for an initial public offering, with a road show planned for early June, according to media reports this month.
Meanwhile, Musk may have also considered Instagram to boost his influence. A verified @elonmusk account appeared on Instagram, according to The New York Times on Sunday. However, the account can no longer be found.