MrBeast, the popular YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, is reportedly among a group of investors attempting to acquire TikTok in a bid exceeding $20 billion. Bloomberg reports this consortium includes Jesse Tinsley (founder of Employer.com), Roblox co-founder and CEO David Baszucki, and Nathan McCauley (head of Anchorage Digital). The group estimates a $25 billion purchase price for the social media giant.
While TikTok's owner, ByteDance, has declared its U.S. operations are not for sale, and the Tinsley-led group acknowledges a lack of direct response, Donaldson's representatives confirm ongoing discussions with various parties. Donaldson aims to align with the eventual frontrunner, suggesting potential shifts in allegiance depending on the evolving situation. On January 22nd, he tweeted, "The leading groups who are all credible bidding on Tik Tok have reached out for us to help them, I’m excited to partner/make this a reality. Big things cooking."
Earlier this week, former U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned Microsoft's purported involvement in TikTok acquisition talks, expressing hope for a bidding war. Microsoft has yet to verify this claim.
TikTok experienced a temporary outage for its 170 million U.S. users shortly before a January 19th deadline requiring its Chinese owner, ByteDance, to either sell or face a ban based on national security concerns. The app's brief shutdown followed the Supreme Court's rejection of TikTok's First Amendment appeal. The court acknowledged prevalent data collection practices but cited TikTok's scale, vulnerability to foreign influence, and the sensitive data it handles as justification for exceptional measures to address national security concerns.
Service was restored following assurances from former President Trump that TikTok would not face penalties. TikTok stated at the time, “It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.”
Following his departure from office on January 20th, former President Trump signed an executive order delaying enforcement of the law by 75 days. He engaged in discussions with various companies and individuals regarding a potential TikTok buyout, expressing openness to Elon Musk's potential involvement.
