Jimmy Donaldson, widely recognized as the YouTuber MrBeast, is part of a consortium of investors aiming to acquire TikTok with a proposed bid exceeding $20 billion. According to Bloomberg, Donaldson has joined forces with Jesse Tinsley of Employer.com, Roblox co-founder and CEO David Baszucki, and Nathan McCauley of Anchorage Digital in this ambitious venture. The group estimates that securing TikTok would require an investment of around $25 billion.
Despite their efforts, TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, has stated that its U.S. operations are not up for sale. The Tinsley-led group has yet to receive a direct response from ByteDance. Representatives for Donaldson have mentioned that he is currently in discussions with multiple parties and is prepared to align with the leading bidder. In a tweet dated January 22, Donaldson expressed his enthusiasm, stating, "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 in the week, former U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned that Microsoft was negotiating to purchase TikTok and expressed his desire for a competitive bidding process. However, Microsoft has not yet confirmed these discussions.
TikTok, which boasts 170 million U.S. users, was temporarily taken offline just before a law came into effect on January 19. This law mandated that ByteDance sell TikTok on national security grounds or face a ban. The app went dark after the Supreme Court rejected an appeal stemming from TikTok's First Amendment challenge. The justices recognized the widespread practice of data collection in the digital era but emphasized, "TikTok’s scale and susceptibility to foreign adversary control, together with the vast swaths of sensitive data the platform collects, justify differential treatment to address the Government’s national security concerns."
Following assurances from Trump, TikTok was able to resume service without facing penalties. The company stated, "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."
Upon taking office on January 20, Trump signed an executive order to delay the enforcement of the law by 75 days. He is currently engaging with various companies and individuals regarding a potential buyout of TikTok and has indicated openness to Elon Musk, the owner of X/Twitter, taking control.
