
This YouTube Star May Be TikTok’s New Owner
By Movieguide® Contributor
Several interested buyers, including MrBeast, have popped up since the Supreme Court upheld the Jan. 19 TikTok ban.
President Trump ordered his attorney general not to enforce the ban for 75 days so that his administration could devise a plan to keep TikTok in the U.S.
YouTube star MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, seems to be working with an investor group led by Jesse Tinsley, the founder of Employer.com.
However, Donaldson’s rep said, “Several potential buyers are having ongoing discussions with Jimmy, but he has no exclusive agreements with any of them.”
The app is worth about $50 billion, but Tinsley hasn’t revealed his group’s bid. His legal team includes Brad Bondi, brother of Pam Bondi, the lawyer and former Florida attorney general who Trump nominated as U.S. attorney general.
The team is “ready to structure the deal in whatever way President Trump and our government wish,” Tinsley wrote on X.
“Now, we’re awaiting a response from ByteDance’s board,” he posted on X Monday. “Our goal is to ensure TikTok stays accessible, thriving, and aligned with the values that make America great.”
On Jan. 13, Donaldson, who earned $85 million on YouTube last year, seemed to joke, “Okay fine, I’ll buy Tik Tok so it doesn’t get banned.” The next day he posted on X, “Unironically I’ve had so many billionaires reach out to me since I tweeted this, let’s see if we can pull this off 🙌🏻.”
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Trump proposed that TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, give the U.S. government 50% of ownership.
If the U.S. doesn’t support the app, then “there’s no value,” Trump told reporters Monday. “So if we create that value, why aren’t we entitled to like half?”
On Tuesday, someone asked Trump if he would be okay with Elon Musk buying the platform.
“I would be, if [Musk] wanted to buy it, yes,” Trump replied. “I’d like Larry to buy it, too,” referring to Oracle’s Larry Ellison.
However, ByteDance has not explicitly revealed that it’s willing to sell. Weeks ago, it stated that it would not sell. However, Bill Ford, a board member of ByteDance and chairman of the global investing firm General Atlantic, said this week that ByteDance is ready to work with Trump’s administration and Chinese officials to find a solution.
READ MORE: DO AMERICANS SUPPORT THE TIKTOK BAN?