Zhang Yiming, the founder of TikTok's parent company ByteDance, met with Elon Musk, a U.S. billionaire and close confidant of President Donald Trump, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Citing people familiar with the matter, the report said Zhang spoke with Musk last year as Congress looked to pass a bill banning TikTok from operating in the U.S.

Zhang owns 21% of ByteDance and gains majority control of the company through additional voting rights. Musk, for his part, has repeatedly opposed blocking TikTok.

Upon his return to the White House on Monday, Trump signed an executive order delaying the "sell-or-ban" law against TikTok, ordering the attorney general not to take any action against TikTok for 75 days.

TikTok was originally scheduled to shut down in the U.S. on Sunday, but service has gradually resumed, and some TikTok users have been able to use the app or visit its website normally.

However, TikTok has yet to return to its on-shelf status since it was taken down from Apple's App Store and the Google Play Store in the U.S. on Sunday.