MrBeast and the CEO of Roblox Are Trying to Buy TikTok for Over $20 Billion

MrBeast, the popular YouTuber, is reportedly among a group of investors vying to acquire TikTok with a bid exceeding $20 billion. Bloomberg reported that this consortium includes Jesse Tinsley (founder of Employer.com), Roblox co-founder and CEO David Baszucki, and Nathan McCauley (head of Anchorage Digital). The group estimates a $25 billion purchase price.

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 indicate he's engaged in discussions with multiple parties. He aims to join the leading bidder, potentially shifting allegiances depending on the unfolding situation. On January 22nd, MrBeast tweeted, "The leading groups who are all credible bidding on Tik Tok have reached out for us to help them, I’m excited to partner/make this a reality. Big things cooking."

Earlier this week, President Trump mentioned Microsoft's involvement in negotiations, expressing hope for a bidding war. Microsoft hasn't confirmed this.

TikTok faced a temporary shutdown for its 170 million U.S. users shortly before a January 19th deadline mandated by a law requiring its Chinese owner, ByteDance, to either sell or face a ban due to national security concerns. The app's brief outage followed the Supreme Court's rejection of TikTok's First Amendment challenge. The court acknowledged common data practices but cited TikTok's scale, susceptibility to foreign control, and the volume of sensitive data collected as justification for addressing national security concerns. Service was restored after assurances from President Trump that penalties would be avoided. TikTok stated this was a victory for free speech and against arbitrary censorship, committing to collaborate with President Trump on a long-term solution.

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