The Supreme Court has dealt a significant blow to TikTok, upholding a law that could lead to the app's ban in the US unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells it by January 19th. The ruling means that TikTok is still on track to be banned in the US, unless President Joe Biden extends the deadline or ByteDance manages to sell the company in time.

The law in question was passed overwhelmingly by Congress and signed by President Biden, with the aim of addressing national security concerns. The US government has defended the law, arguing that it is essential to national security. However, lawyers for TikTok and a group of creators on the platform have argued that the law would violate the First Amendment, citing free expression concerns.

The Supreme Court's ruling has significant implications for TikTok's future in the US. If the app is banned, it will not simply disappear from users' phones, but TikTok has reportedly planned to go beyond the law's requirements and go dark should the ban be upheld. This would mean that users would no longer be able to access the app or its content.

Despite the ruling, there are still potential buyers waiting in the wings, hoping to acquire TikTok. Billionaire Frank McCourt's Project Liberty, for example, wants to buy the app without the algorithm to run on its own social network protocol. However, it is still unclear whether China would allow a sale, even without the coveted algorithm.

There are also reports that Chinese officials are mulling the idea of getting billionaire Elon Musk to either act as a buyer or broker of a potential deal. This development could potentially change ByteDance's calculus on a sale, but it remains to be seen whether this would be enough to overcome the significant hurdles to a deal.

President-elect Donald Trump has stated that he would try to save the app, but it is unclear how he plans to do so. Trump will not be sworn into office until a day after the sale deadline, which could make it difficult for him to intervene in time. The Biden administration, meanwhile, appears poised to hold off on enforcement and leave it to the next administration.

The Supreme Court's ruling has significant implications not only for TikTok but also for the broader tech industry. The case has pitted free expression and national security concerns against one another, raising important questions about the balance between these competing interests. As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen what the ultimate fate of TikTok will be and what this will mean for the tech industry as a whole.

This story is developing, and we will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.