Social media influencer MrBeast says he'd buy TikTok to keep it from being banned. Elon Musk reportedly is interested in buying the app as well.
Jimmy Donaldson — better known online as MrBeast — isn’t in the TikTok bidding race just yet, according to a representative for the YouTube star.
MrBeast, the popular YouTube star and the internet’s highest-earning content creator, is holding discussions with several groups that are interested in buying TikTok before a possible ban, according to a spokesperson.
It’s not clear if TikTok’s owner ByteDance has seriously considered the offer, Bloomberg reported. Others floated as potential buyers include Elon Musk, Amazon, Oracle, and a syndicate headed by billionaire Frank McCourt.
After various videos and comments about wanting to buy TikTok so it doesn’t get banned, MrBeast has helped put in an offer.
MrBeast may be known for his egregious monetary rewards for challenges, but the next massive spend for him is TikTok.
The platform is in need of saving in the United States, where approximately 170 million people have TikTok accounts. On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a federal law that will ban the platform on Jan. 19 unless TikTok’s China-based owner ByteDance divests its U.S. operations.
YouTuber MrBeast, X owner Elon Musk and Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison are names that have floated around in the past week.
YouTube and TikTok star MrBeast is looking to buy TikTok as part of a group of investors, as a 75-day time limit ticks down for the social media company to find a non-Chinese owner or risk being permanently banned in the US.
Trump's most recent plan for TikTok centers on demands that the United States be given a 50% ownership position in the app under any proposed deal.
The YouTube star has become known for producing a range of content—including big-budget, elaborate stunts and charitable acts.