MrBeast, Roblox CEO Eye TikTok Acquisition for Over $20B

Jimmy Donaldson, popularly known as the YouTuber MrBeast, has joined forces with a notable group of investors in a bold attempt to purchase TikTok, reportedly placing a bid of over $20 billion. This group includes Jesse Tinsley, the founder of Employer.com, Roblox co-founder and CEO David Baszucki, and Nathan McCauley, head of the crypto platform Anchorage Digital. Together, they estimate that it would take approximately $25 billion to secure the social media giant.

Despite their ambitious plans, TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, has firmly stated that its U.S. operations are not up for sale. The investment group led by Tinsley has acknowledged that they have yet to receive a direct response from ByteDance regarding their proposal.

Representatives for MrBeast have indicated that he is currently in discussions with multiple parties and is eager to align with the leading contender in the bidding process. This flexibility suggests that Donaldson may shift alliances based on the evolving dynamics of the acquisition race. In a tweet on January 22, Donaldson expressed his enthusiasm, saying, “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 that Microsoft was engaged in negotiations to acquire TikTok and expressed his desire to see a competitive bidding war for the app. However, Microsoft has not yet confirmed these discussions.

TikTok faced a significant challenge when it was taken offline for its 170 million U.S. users just before a law came into effect on January 19, requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok due to national security concerns or face a ban. The app went dark after the Supreme Court rejected an appeal following TikTok's First Amendment challenge. The justices noted that while data collection is common in the digital age, "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 restore its services, with the company stating, "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."

After taking office on January 20, Trump signed an executive order to delay the enforcement of the law by 75 days. He is currently in talks with various companies and individuals about a potential buyout of TikTok and has expressed openness to the possibility of X/Twitter owner Elon Musk taking control.