YouTube megastar MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) is reportedly among a group of investors vying to acquire TikTok in a bid exceeding $20 billion. Bloomberg reports that Donaldson has teamed up with Jesse Tinsley (founder of Employer.com), Roblox co-founder and CEO David Baszucki, and Nathan McCauley (head of Anchorage Digital) in this ambitious endeavor. The group estimates the acquisition cost at $25 billion.

While TikTok's owner, ByteDance, has publicly stated that its U.S. operations are not for sale, and the Tinsley-led group acknowledges a lack of direct response, Donaldson's representatives confirm ongoing discussions with various parties. Donaldson aims to align with the eventual frontrunner, suggesting potential shifts in alliances depending on the unfolding situation. He tweeted on January 22nd, expressing excitement about the prospect and hinting at "big things cooking."

Earlier this week, former President Donald Trump mentioned Microsoft's purported involvement in TikTok acquisition talks, anticipating a bidding war. Microsoft has yet to verify this claim.

TikTok experienced a temporary shutdown for its 170 million U.S. users just before a January 19th deadline requiring its Chinese owner, ByteDance, to either sell or face a ban on national security grounds. This outage followed the Supreme Court's rejection of TikTok's First Amendment challenge. The court acknowledged common data practices in the digital age but cited TikTok's scale, susceptibility to foreign control, and the volume of sensitive data collected as justifying exceptional measures to address national security concerns. Service was restored following assurances from President Trump that penalties would be avoided.

TikTok stated at the time, "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." Upon assuming office on January 20th, President Biden signed an executive order temporarily delaying enforcement of the law by 75 days. He is reportedly in discussions with various entities regarding a potential TikTok buyout, including X/Twitter owner Elon Musk.