Popular YouTuber MrBeast and Roblox CEO Eye TikTok Acquisition

MrBeast, the popular YouTuber, is reportedly part of a consortium attempting a $20 billion+ bid to acquire TikTok. Bloomberg reported that this group, also including Jesse Tinsley (Employer.com founder), David Baszucki (Roblox co-founder and CEO), and Nathan McCauley (Anchorage Digital head), estimates the acquisition cost at $25 billion.

While TikTok's owner, ByteDance, has declared its U.S. operations are not for sale, and the Tinsley-led group hasn't received a direct response, MrBeast's representatives confirmed his involvement in discussions with various parties. MrBeast aims to align with the eventual winning bidder, potentially shifting allegiances depending on the unfolding situation. He tweeted on January 22nd, expressing excitement about the possibility and hinting at significant developments.

Earlier this week, President Trump mentioned Microsoft's purported negotiations to acquire TikTok, anticipating a bidding war. Microsoft hasn't verified this claim.

TikTok experienced a temporary outage for its 170 million U.S. users just before a January 19th deadline mandating a sale or ban by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, due to national security concerns. The outage followed the Supreme Court's dismissal of TikTok's First Amendment appeal. The court acknowledged the prevalence of data collection in the digital age but cited TikTok's scale, vulnerability to foreign influence, and the vast amount of sensitive data it collects as justification for the government's national security concerns.

Service resumed after assurances from President Trump that penalties would be avoided. TikTok stated this was a victory for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship, pledging to collaborate with President Trump on a long-term solution to maintain its U.S. presence.

Following his inauguration on January 20th, President Trump issued an executive order delaying enforcement of the law by 75 days. He's engaged in discussions with multiple entities regarding a potential TikTok buyout, including Elon Musk.