MrBeast, Roblox CEO Eye TikTok Acquisition Over $20B

Jimmy Donaldson, widely recognized as the YouTuber MrBeast, has joined forces with a notable group of investors aiming to acquire TikTok. The group, which 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, has reportedly put forward a bid exceeding $20 billion. They believe that securing TikTok could require a staggering $25 billion.

Despite their ambitious plans, TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, has firmly stated that its U.S. operations are not on the market. The group led by Tinsley has acknowledged that they have not yet received a direct response from ByteDance.

MrBeast's representatives have indicated that he is engaged in discussions with multiple parties and is open to aligning with the most promising bidder. On January 22, Donaldson took to Twitter to express his excitement, saying, "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 this week, former U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned that Microsoft was in negotiations to purchase TikTok, expressing his desire to see a bidding war unfold. However, Microsoft has not yet confirmed these claims.

TikTok faced a significant disruption when it was taken offline for its 170 million U.S. users just before a law was set to take effect on January 19. This law required ByteDance to sell TikTok on national security grounds or face a ban. The app went dark after the Supreme Court rejected an appeal following TikTok's First Amendment challenge. The justices recognized the commonality of data collection in the digital age 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 restored, 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."

Upon taking office on January 20, Trump signed an executive order to delay the enforcement of the law by 75 days. He is currently in discussions with various companies and individuals, including Elon Musk, about a potential acquisition of TikTok, indicating his openness to different outcomes.