Jimmy Donaldson – aka MrBeast – He was thrilled when he told his tens of millions of TikTok followers about his attempt to buy the platform.
“I might become your guys' new CEO! I'm so excited!” Donaldson said from a private plane. He then proceeded to pay $10,000 to five random new followers.
The internet creator's post has been viewed more than 73 million times since Monday. Donaldson said he couldn't share details about his show, but promised: “Just know, it's going to be crazy.”
Donaldson is one of several suitors who have expressed interest in buying TikTok, the hugely popular social media platform that has become the subject of a fast-moving political drama in the United States.
Last year, former President Joe Biden signed a law giving TikTok's parent company, China-based ByteDance, until January 19 to sell the platform or face a ban in the United States.
The legislation addressed concerns about TikTok's links to the Chinese government and concerns about the app being a national security risk.
President Donald Trump has raised the possibility of creating a joint venture.
“I would like the US to have 50% ownership,” he said in a post on Truth Social on Sunday. “By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it (to survive).”
Trump has since signed an executive order allowing the app to remain in operation for another 75 days.
Earlier this month, Bloomberg I mentioned That China was considering selling TikTok to it Elon Muskthe richest man in the world and a close ally of President Trump, who already owns the social media platform X.
Musk itself books On X this week, he said that although he has long opposed the TikTok ban, “the current situation where TikTok is allowed to operate in America, but X is not allowed to operate in China, is lopsided. Something has to change.”
At a press conference on Tuesday, a reporter asked Trump if he would be willing to buy Musk for the platform.
“I will if he wants to buy it, yes,” the president replied.
Trump added: “I would like Larry to buy it, too,” referring to the Oracle CEO Larry Ellisona longtime Trump supporter who was on stage with him for a separate announcement.
Oracle is one of the main server providers for TikTok, administration Many data centers where the platform's billions of videos are stored.
Last year, Oracle warned that banning TikTok could hurt its business. The cloud computing giant was also a major contender to buy the social media platform in 2020, when Trump was trying to ban it.
Billionaire investor Frank McCourt He also expressed interest in TikTok, and has been giving media interviews about the possibility for several months.
McCourt said he wants TikTok to run on technology overseen by the Project Liberty Institute, which he founded. He has criticized the data collection practices of social media companies.
Project Liberty is bidding to buy TikTok without its own algorithm. McCourt He said CNBC reported this week that Project Liberty “is not interested in the Chinese algorithm or technology” even as it acknowledged that the platform “becomes less valuable” without it.
Ultimately, President Trump will likely have a major role in selecting an American buyer for TikTok.
“The winner will most likely be politically sympathetic to President Donald Trump,” said Professor Anupam Chander, of Georgetown University Law School.
Professor Chander said that the 50-50 shared ownership model does not comply with the requirements of the law, which may prompt Trump to pressure Congress to review the law.
For now, the future of the platform remains in limbo.
Professor Chander said the Biden administration made an “easy mistake” by allowing the law to give the president too much control over who owns TikTok.
“It was a terrible idea to put the future of a huge information platform into this political maelstrom,” Professor Chander said.
