‘TikTok, we mean business’: MrBeast is bidding for the beleaguered app

“Okay fine, I’ll buy TikTok so it doesn’t get banned,” MrBeast posted on X on January 13. Turns out, he wasn’t kidding. Jimmy Donaldson, known to his 347 million YouTube subscribers as MrBeast, has officially joined a bid to acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations.

Days after his initial X post, Donaldson shared a TikTok video again teasing his interest in acquiring TikTok. “I just got out of a meeting with a bunch of billionaires,” he said. “TikTok, we mean business.”

True to his word, MrBeast has indeed teamed up with Employer.com CEO Jesse Tinsley and other investors, submitting an all-cash bid for TikTok, according to a report in Bloomberg.

The U.S. law firm Paul Hastings confirmed MrBeast’s TikTok bid in a statement on Tuesday, revealing that Tinsley is spearheading the investor group. The group reportedly includes “institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals”, with MrBeast being the only publicly named member.

The statement didn’t disclose the size of the all-cash bid, though former president Donald Trump estimated TikTok’s value at $1 trillion on the same day. Forbes previously named Donaldson the world’s highest-earning internet creator of 2023, with a staggering $85 million in earnings.

It remains unclear whether ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, is seriously considering the offer, Bloomberg reported. Meanwhile, other big names like Elon Musk, Oracle, and billionaire Frank McCourt are also rumored to be potential buyers.

TikTok briefly went dark on Saturday. Less than 24 hours later it was back. Former President Donald Trump, now back in office, signed an executive order on Monday allowing the app to continue U.S. operations—for now. The move delays any potential ban for 75 days but doesn’t offer a permanent solution.

ByteDance again faces two options: Sell the U.S. operations to a buyer or hope for an improbable legislative reversal. For TikTok, the clock is ticking once again.

https://www.fastcompany.com/91265503/tiktok-we-mean-business-mrbeast-is-bidding-for-the-beleaguered-app?partner=rss&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss

Creato 1mo | 22 gen 2025, 19:30:08


Accedi per aggiungere un commento

Altri post in questo gruppo

Elon Musk’s DOGE is draining the life from the once-vaunted U.S. Digital Service

The United States Digital Service (USDS), the storied group of Silicon Valley types brought together by Obama to bring government services into the 21st century, will likely never be the same afte

25 feb 2025, 21:40:06 | Fast company - tech
21 federal workers resign from DOGE, refusing to ‘dismantle critical public services’

More than 20 civil service employees resigned Tuesday from billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk’s 

25 feb 2025, 21:40:06 | Fast company - tech
Nvidia stock struggles before its first post-DeepSeek earnings: 5 things to watch

It’s no exaggeration to say that Nvidia (Nasdaq:NVDA), to many people, is the most important stock on Wall Street these days. Last year, the com

25 feb 2025, 21:40:05 | Fast company - tech
How Factory is turning AI into ‘a junior developer in a box’

Many things remain uncertain about AI’s future impact on our lives. One that isn’t in doubt is that more and more of the world’s software will be written, at least in part, by software. A

25 feb 2025, 19:20:08 | Fast company - tech
Why Donald Trump and Elon Musk probably aren’t breaking up any time soon

On Monday morning, anonymous hackers played a video on screens throughout the Department of Housing and Urban Development HQ in Washington, D.C. The AI-generated video jankily portrayed President

25 feb 2025, 19:20:08 | Fast company - tech
Chengdu’s Snow Village faces backlash for creating a fake winter wonder

There’s a new entrant in the scam hall of fame.

The Chengdu Snow Village—a newly opened destination in the suburban Chengdu, Sichuan province—advertised a picturesque snow landscap

25 feb 2025, 19:20:07 | Fast company - tech
How LinkedIn became luxury fashion’s newest runway

As Fashion Week takes over New York, London, and Milan, designers aren’t just showcasing their collections on the runway—they’re taking over

25 feb 2025, 17:10:06 | Fast company - tech