MrBeast, the popular YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, is reportedly part of a consortium aiming to acquire TikTok for over $20 billion. Bloomberg reports that Donaldson has joined forces with Jesse Tinsley (founder of Employer.com), Roblox co-founder and CEO David Baszucki, and Nathan McCauley (head of Anchorage Digital) in this ambitious bid. The group 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 yet received a direct response, Donaldson's representatives confirm his involvement in ongoing discussions. Donaldson aims to align with the eventual frontrunner, suggesting potential shifts in alliances depending on the unfolding negotiations. He tweeted on January 22nd, "The leading groups who are all credible bidding on TikTok 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 officially confirm Trump's statement.
TikTok experienced a temporary outage for its 170 million U.S. users shortly before a January 19th deadline mandating either a sale by its Chinese owner, ByteDance, on national security grounds or a complete ban. The app went offline following the Supreme Court's rejection of an appeal based on TikTok's First Amendment challenge. The Supreme Court acknowledged common data collection practices but cited TikTok's scale, susceptibility to foreign control, and the vast amount of sensitive data collected as justification for differential treatment to address national security concerns.
Service was subsequently restored after assurances from former President Trump that penalties would be avoided. 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.
