Chinese officials are reportedly exploring a backup plan for TikTok after the Supreme Court appeared unlikely to save it from a US ban. With TikTok’s legal options nearly exhausted, multiple news outlets are reporting that China is considering an option it previously said it wouldn’t: letting ByteDance sell the app.

TikTok’s U.S. operations might soon have a new owner - Elon Musk. Chinese officials are said to be considering allowing the sale of the social network to the billionaire.

Recent reports assert that Chinese officials could be considering selling TikTok's U.S. division to Elon Musk to avert a possible ban — but TikTok is speaking out against the claims as "pure fiction." According to reports published Monday and Tuesday by Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal respectively,

The location suggests that Mr. Musk, who owns companies with billions of dollars in contracts with the federal government, will continue to have remarkable access to President-elect Donald J. Trump.