MrBeast, the popular YouTuber, is reportedly part of a consortium attempting a $20 billion+ bid to acquire TikTok. Bloomberg reports this group includes Jesse Tinsley (Employer.com founder), Roblox CEO David Baszucki, and Nathan McCauley (Anchorage Digital). The group estimates the acquisition will require $25 billion.

While ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, has stated its U.S. operations are not for sale, and the Tinsley-led group hasn't received a direct response, MrBeast's representatives confirm he's in discussions with various parties. MrBeast tweeted on January 22nd about his involvement, expressing excitement about the potential partnership and hinting at significant developments.

Earlier this week, President Trump mentioned Microsoft's purported negotiations to acquire TikTok, anticipating a bidding war. Microsoft hasn't verified this claim.

TikTok's 170 million U.S. users experienced a brief outage preceding a January 19th deadline mandating either a sale or a ban due to national security concerns. The temporary shutdown followed the Supreme Court's rejection of TikTok's First Amendment appeal. The court acknowledged common data practices but cited TikTok's scale, susceptibility to foreign influence, and the vast amount of sensitive data collected as justification for the government's national security concerns. Service resumed after assurances from President Trump that penalties would be avoided.

TikTok subsequently issued a statement affirming its commitment to the First Amendment and opposing arbitrary censorship, expressing willingness to collaborate with President Trump 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 engaged in discussions with various entities and individuals regarding a potential TikTok buyout, including Elon Musk.