MrBeast, the popular YouTuber, is reportedly part of a consortium attempting a $20 billion+ bid to acquire TikTok. This group, which includes Jesse Tinsley (Employer.com founder), Roblox co-founder and CEO David Baszucki, and Anchorage Digital's Nathan McCauley, estimates the acquisition will require $25 billion.
Bloomberg reported on the bid, noting that ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, has stated its U.S. operations are not for sale. The Tinsley-led group acknowledges they haven't received a direct response.
MrBeast's representatives clarified he's engaged in discussions with multiple parties and aims to align with the eventual frontrunner, potentially shifting allegiances depending on the situation's evolution. A January 22nd tweet from MrBeast expressed his enthusiasm about the potential partnership, hinting at significant developments.
Earlier this week, President Trump mentioned Microsoft's involvement in potential TikTok acquisition talks, anticipating a bidding war. Microsoft hasn't confirmed this claim.
TikTok's temporary shutdown affected its 170 million U.S. users shortly before a January 19th deadline mandated either a sale by ByteDance (due to national security concerns) or a ban. The app's outage followed the Supreme Court's rejection of TikTok's First Amendment appeal. The court acknowledged common data practices in the digital age but emphasized TikTok's scale, vulnerability to foreign influence, and the sensitive data it collects as justification for addressing national security concerns.
Service resumed after assurances from President Trump that penalties would be avoided. TikTok described this as a victory for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship, pledging collaboration with President Trump on a long-term solution to maintain its U.S. presence.
Following his inauguration on January 20th, President Trump issued an executive order delaying enforcement of the law by 75 days. He's actively engaged in discussions with various entities about a potential TikTok buyout, including Elon Musk.
