MrBeast, Roblox CEO Eye TikTok Acquisition Over $20B

Jimmy Donaldson, famously known as YouTuber MrBeast, is part of an ambitious group of investors aiming to purchase TikTok with a proposed bid exceeding $20 billion. According to Bloomberg, Donaldson has teamed up with Jesse Tinsley, the founder of Employer.com, Roblox co-founder and CEO David Baszucki, and Nathan McCauley, head of the crypto platform Anchorage Digital. The group estimates that acquiring TikTok would require approximately $25 billion.

Despite their efforts, ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, has stated that its U.S. business is not for sale. Moreover, the investment group led by Tinsley has yet to receive a direct response from ByteDance. Representatives for Donaldson have indicated that he is engaging with multiple parties and is open to aligning with the leading bidder. On January 22, Donaldson tweeted, “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 in the week, former U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned that Microsoft was in discussions to acquire TikTok, expressing his desire for a bidding war over the app. Microsoft has not yet confirmed these claims.

TikTok, which boasts 170 million users in the U.S., was temporarily taken offline just before a law came into effect on January 19, which required its Chinese owner ByteDance to sell the app due to national security concerns or face a ban. The Supreme Court rejected an appeal following TikTok’s First Amendment challenge, leading to the app going dark. The justices noted, "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 come back online without facing penalties for restoring service. TikTok 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."

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 discussions with several entities, including Elon Musk, the owner of X/Twitter, regarding a potential buyout of TikTok.