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

MrBeast, the popular YouTuber, is reportedly part of a consortium bidding over $20 billion to acquire TikTok. This group, which includes Jesse Tinsley (founder of Employer.com), Roblox co-founder and CEO David Baszucki, and Nathan McCauley (head of Anchorage Digital), estimates the acquisition cost at $25 billion.

Bloomberg reported on this ambitious bid, although TikTok's owner, ByteDance, has publicly stated its U.S. operations are not for sale, and the Tinsley-led group hasn't yet received a direct response.

MrBeast's representatives clarified that he's engaged in discussions with multiple parties and aims to align with the eventual frontrunner, potentially shifting allegiances depending on the unfolding situation. In a January 22nd tweet, MrBeast expressed his enthusiasm, stating, "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 purported negotiations to purchase TikTok, anticipating a potential bidding war. Microsoft hasn't confirmed this claim.

The preceding events followed a temporary shutdown of TikTok for its 170 million U.S. users. This outage occurred just before a January 19th deadline imposed by a law mandating either a sale by ByteDance (due to national security concerns) or a complete ban. The app went offline after the Supreme Court rejected TikTok's First Amendment appeal, citing the app's scale, susceptibility to foreign control, and the vast amount of sensitive data collected as justification for addressing national security concerns. Service was subsequently restored following assurances from President Trump that penalties would be avoided.

TikTok responded at the time, stating, “It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.”

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 regarding a potential TikTok buyout with various companies and individuals, including expressing openness to Elon Musk's involvement.