MrBeast has joined the bid to buy TikTok in an attempt to save the popular platform from being banned in the United States, it has emerged.
The YouTube star, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, seemingly joked about purchasing the platform in tweet late Sunday night.
‘Okay fine, I’ll buy TikTok so it doesn’t get banned,’ he posted on X, in a message that appeared to be nothing more than online banter.
Later on, the popular internet personality, who boasts more than 300 million subscribers on YouTube, reiterated his claim about potential billionaire investors after a few hours.
‘Unironically I’ve had so many billionaires reach out to me since I tweeted this, let’s see if we can pull this off,’ Donaldson tweeted Monday.
While Donaldson didn’t disclose the identities of those who reached out to him, insiders revealed to TMZ that discussions are underway within his team with various parties interested in acquiring TikTok.
The fate of TikTok’s presence in the United States is uncertain, as the Chinese-owned platform is gearing up to potentially disable its services for American users on Sunday, coinciding with the possible imposition of a federal ban on the social networking app.
Donaldson’s alleged bid for partial ownership of the company comes amid reports that China is in ‘secret talks’ to sell TikTok to Tesla billionaire Elon Musk, who in 2022 acquired his social media X, formerly Twitter.
YouTuber MrBeast – whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson – has joined the bid to buy TikTok in an attempt to save the popular platform from being banned in the United States, it has emerged. Donaldson is pictured at the TikTok House Part at VidCon in June 2022
Donaldson seemingly joked about purchasing the platform in a tweet late Sunday night
But hours later the internet star, who has more than 300million subscribers on YouTube, doubled down on the assertion, claiming he had been in contact with possible billionaire investors
No official deal between Donaldson and any potential investors has materialized yet, according to TMZ.
But insiders familiar with the ‘ongoing conversations’ claim the wealthy investor groups think Donaldson would be an ideal partner for maintaining operations and expanding the business because of his ‘unique success’ on social media.
The sources also claim that Donaldson, who has an estimated net worth of $700million, would hypothetically secure equity in TikTok and become a minority owner in the platform.
However, they note it is too ‘premature’ to speculate exactly how much equity the influencer would actually have in the firm.
With a possible TikTok ban just days away, Beijing officials have become to explore alternative options, including the involvement of Musk, who may be uniquely positioned to bridge the divide between the world’s two largest economies.
‘Senior Chinese officials had already begun to debate contingency plans for TikTok,’ sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.
One intriguing proposal involves Musk’s company X taking control of TikTok’s US operations.
Donaldson’s alleged bid for partial ownership of the company comes amid reports that China is in ‘secret talks’ to sell TikTok to Tesla billionaire Elon Musk (pictured in 2023). Musk in 2022 acquired his social media platform X, formerly Twitter
President Joe Biden (left, pictured in July 2024) had in April last year signed a law requiring Bytedance to sell its assets by January 19, 2025 or face a nationwide ban. President-elect Donald Trump (right, pictured in December 2024) , whose inauguration takes place the day after the law goes into effect, has said he should have time after taking office to pursue a ‘political resolution’ to the issue
With more than 170 million users, TikTok would provide Musk’s platform with a massive user base and a treasure trove of data – and the perfect complement to his burgeoning AI enterprise, xAI.
Such a move could help X attract advertisers while solidifying Musk’s influence across social media, artificial intelligence, and global trade.
Musk’s ties to the incoming Trump Administration adds another layer of intrigue to the potential deal. Having donated more than $250million to Trump’s re-election campaign, Musk is seen as a trusted ally by the incoming administration.
It’s not clear how much TikTok parent company ByteDance knows about the Chinese government discussions or whether TikTok and Musk have been involved.
It’s also unclear whether Musk, TikTok and ByteDance have held any talks about the terms of any possible deal, Bloomberg reports.
President Joe Biden had in April last year signed a law requiring Bytedance to sell its assets by January 19, 2025 or face a nationwide ban.
TikTok and Bytedance have sought, at the very least, a delay in implementation of the law.
TikTok’s legal team has argued that banning the app violates American’s First Amendment’s free speech protections. However, national security concerns, underscored by the Supreme Court justices, may outweigh those arguments.
TikTok said in a court filing last month that it estimates one-third of the 170 million Americans using its app would stop accessing the platform if the ban lasts a month.
TikTok faces an imminent shutdown in the United States after Congress passed a law last year forcing its Chinese owner ByteDance to either sell the platform or close it by Sunday. The US Supreme Court is expected to rule this week on TikTok’s challenge to the law
But last week, the Supreme Court seemed inclined to uphold the law despite calls from President-elect Donald Trump and lawmakers to extend the Jan. 19 deadline.
Trump, whose inauguration takes place the day after the law goes into effect, has said he should have time after taking office to pursue a ‘political resolution’ to the issue. The President-elect has 14.7 million followers on TikTok.
Trump’s plan to delay TikTok’s ban until he assumes office on January 20 suggests Musk’s potential acquisition could be a strategic point of negotiation between Washington and Beijing.
Aside from all the geopolitical and economic implications, a deal between TikTok and Musk might even go so far as to reshape the relationship between China and the United States, experts have suggested.
