MrBeast and Others Eye TikTok Ownership as Ban Looms: Speculation Rises Amid Government Push for Deal
TikTok’s fate in the United States hangs in the balance, with the video-sharing app facing a federal ban unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divests its stake.
As app users wait to see what happens, a colorful mix of potential buyers, including YouTube megastar MrBeast, Elon Musk, and Oracle founder Larry Ellison, has entered the spotlight.
President Donald Trump, in his return to the White House, has delayed enforcement of the ban for 75 days to broker a solution, but legal experts warn the clock is ticking.
“SAVE TIKTOK!” Trump proclaimed on Truth Social, proposing a 50% U.S. government stake in a new joint venture as a path forward. He said at press briefing that if TikTok’s future isn’t secured, “there’s no value. If we create that value, why aren’t we entitled to like half?”
We just have no idea if ByteDance or the Chinese government would accept terms like this. However, analysts says that TikTok’s value is up to $50 billion, making it a tempting prospect for potential buyers.
Among the possible buyers is Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast. Initially, his interest seemed like a joke, saying on social media: “Okay fine, I’ll buy TikTok so it doesn’t get banned.”
But things escalated quickly and he said: “Unironically, I’ve had so many billionaires reach out to me since I tweeted this,” and the joke might be turning into a serious venture.
MrBeast has teamed with Jesse Tinsley, founder of Employer.com, in a bid for TikTok. While the exact offer remains undisclosed, Tinsley said on X that their group is awaiting a response from ByteDance.
Tinsley said: “Our goal is to ensure TikTok stays accessible, thriving, and aligned with the values that make America great.”
The group’s legal team reportedly includes Brad Bondi, whose sister, Pam Bondi, served as Florida’s attorney general. According to Tinsley, the team is prepared to structure the deal to align with government requirements.
Elon Musk, who has has become a Trump fanboy, could also enter the picture. When asked about Musk as a potential buyer, Trump said, “I would be, if [Musk] wanted to buy it, yes. I’d like Larry to buy it, too,” referring to Ellison, who previously sought to partner with Walmart in a 2020 bid for TikTok.
Meanwhile, alternative proposals have surfaced. Project Liberty, spearheaded by billionaire Frank McCourt, has promoted a divestiture plan that addresses Congress’s national security concerns by using a proprietary tech stack instead of ByteDance’s algorithm. McCourt said: “Project Liberty’s bid is the only solution on the table that complies with the law.”
Even AI start-up Perplexity AI has thrown its hat in the ring, reportedly proposing a merger with TikTok that would allow ByteDance’s investors to retain stakes while complying with U.S. legal demands.
Despite all of this talk and activity, ByteDance has not indicated any willingness to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations. One of the complications of the whole thing is the content-recommendation algorithm at the heart of TikTok’s appeal, which the divest-or-ban law prohibits from being controlled by ByteDance.
We’ll just have to wait and see whether Trump’s delay of the the ban leads to a resolution or leaves TikTok’s millions of U.S. users in the cold.
Source: Variety