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 attempting a $20 billion+ bid to acquire TikTok. Bloomberg reports that this group, including MrBeast, Jesse Tinsley (Employer.com founder), Roblox CEO David Baszucki, and Nathan McCauley (Anchorage Digital head), estimates the acquisition cost at $25 billion.

Despite ByteDance (TikTok's owner) stating its U.S. operations are not for sale, and the Tinsley-led group acknowledging a lack of direct response, MrBeast remains optimistic. He tweeted on January 22nd, expressing excitement about potential partnerships and involvement in the acquisition, suggesting a willingness to adapt his involvement depending on the unfolding situation.

Earlier this week, President Trump mentioned Microsoft's purported negotiations to buy TikTok, anticipating a bidding war. Microsoft has yet to confirm this.

TikTok's temporary shutdown impacted its 170 million U.S. users shortly before a January 19th deadline mandated either a sale by its Chinese owner, ByteDance, or a ban due to national security concerns. The app's brief outage followed the Supreme Court's rejection of TikTok's First Amendment appeal. The court acknowledged common data practices in the digital age but cited TikTok's scale, vulnerability to foreign influence, and the sensitive data it collects as justification for prioritizing national security.

Service resumed after assurances from President Trump that penalties would be avoided. TikTok subsequently stated its commitment to working with the President 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 currently in discussions with various entities, including Elon Musk, regarding a potential TikTok buyout.