The future of TikTok is precarious, and popular YouTuber Mr. Beast has expressed interest in acquiring the app, supported by a group of investors who have formed a bid valued at over $20 billion. This notable investor group includes prominent tech leaders such as David Baszucki, CEO of Roblox; Nathan McCauley, CEO of Anchorage Digital; and Jesse Tinsley, founder of Employer.com.
While the exact value of the bid remains unclear, Tinsley disclosed to Bloomberg that their offer is “significantly higher” than competing proposals, including an estimated $20 billion bid from Project Liberty. However, the extent of the group’s negotiations remains uncertain, as Tinsley indicated that they have yet to communicate directly with ByteDance.
Although Mr. Beast has not finalized his investment, he is reportedly engaging with multiple groups and aims to partner with the leading contender to secure a share of ownership in the application.
At present, there are at least five different groups competing to acquire TikTok. Microsoft has announced its interest and is currently in discussions with former President Trump. Other potential suitors include Project Liberty, spearheaded by Kevin O’Leary and Frank McCourt; Steven Mnuchin, ex-Secretary of the Treasury; Elon Musk; and Larry Ellison, CTO of Oracle.
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Other interested parties include a Saudi prince and the AI platform Perplexity.
The intense scramble to buy TikTok comes following Donald Trump’s 75-day extension after the initial ban. ByteDance and the Trump administration are in search of a buyer that can create a 50/50 ownership structure with American stakeholders, and Tinsley expressed to Bloomberg that his group “could stabilize TikTok and improve its position for users and data integrity among the U.S. population.”
