MrBeast, the popular YouTuber, is reportedly part of a consortium attempting a $20+ billion bid to acquire TikTok. Bloomberg reports this group, including MrBeast, Jesse Tinsley (Employer.com founder), David Baszucki (Roblox co-founder and CEO), and Nathan McCauley (Anchorage Digital head), estimates the acquisition cost at $25 billion.
While TikTok's owner, ByteDance, has declared its U.S. operations are not for sale, and the Tinsley-led group hasn't received a direct response, MrBeast's representatives confirm his involvement in discussions with various parties. He aims to join the leading bidder, potentially shifting alliances depending on the situation's evolution. MrBeast tweeted on January 22nd, expressing excitement about the potential partnership and hinting at significant developments.
Earlier this week, President Trump mentioned Microsoft's purported negotiations to acquire TikTok, anticipating a bidding war. Microsoft hasn't verified this claim.
TikTok's temporary shutdown affected its 170 million U.S. users shortly before a January 19th deadline requiring ByteDance to sell or face a ban due to national security concerns. The app's outage followed the Supreme Court's rejection of TikTok's First Amendment appeal. The court acknowledged common data practices but cited TikTok's scale, susceptibility to foreign control, and the volume of sensitive data collected as justification for addressing national security concerns.
Service resumed after assurances from President Trump that TikTok wouldn't face penalties. TikTok stated this was a victory for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship, promising collaboration with President Trump on a long-term solution.
Following his inauguration on January 20th, President Trump issued an executive order delaying enforcement of the law by 75 days. He's engaged in discussions with various entities and individuals regarding a potential TikTok buyout, including Elon Musk.
