The speculation about MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, bidding for TikTok’s U.S. operations began on January 13 when he posted on X: “Okay fine, I’ll buy TikTok so it doesn’t get banned.” 

While the tone appeared lighthearted, Donaldson followed up two days later with a TikTok video announcing more serious intentions. “I just got out of a meeting with a bunch of billionaires. TikTok we mean business,” he stated in the video, accompanied by his lawyer. “We have an offer ready for you, we want to buy the platform.”

However, the reports about MrBeast’s involvement in a potential TikTok acquisition require clarification, according to his spokesperson, Matthew Hiltzik. While multiple groups are engaging in discussions with the content creator, Hiltzik told The Associated Press on Wednesday, Jan. 22, that Donaldson “has no exclusive agreements with any of them.”

Race Against Time: TikTok’s 75-Day Countdown

The situation emerges amid TikTok’s mandatory divestiture period, triggered by a Supreme Court decision to uphold a federal law requiring the platform’s sale to a non-China-based company. President Trump has signed an executive order extending the timeline by 75 days before the ban takes effect.

Multiple Bidders Emerge

Three distinct groups have emerged as potential buyers. The first, led by Jesse Tinsley, CEO of Employer.com, comprises institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals. While their bid amount remains undisclosed, the group emphasized their proposal would maintain operational continuity for TikTok’s 170 million American users.

A second consortium, “The People’s Bid for TikTok,” includes Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary, billionaire Frank McCourt, and World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee, with backing from Guggenheim Securities. This group has not publicly disclosed its offer value, though McCourt previously suggested a $20 billion valuation for the assets.

Chinese officials were reportedly considering discussions with tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, according to the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg. However, a TikTok spokesperson told the BBC, “We cannot be expected to comment on pure fiction,” directly addressing the growing speculation over a potential buyout by Musk.

Valuation and Future Prospects

As CNN reports, Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives has estimated TikTok’s U.S. assets, excluding its algorithm, are worth between $40 billion and $50 billion. However, the algorithm’s value makes precise valuation challenging.

The platform briefly went offline Saturday night, displaying a message about the U.S. ban, but resumed operations approximately 12 hours later following Trump’s announcement of the planned executive order delay.

ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, maintains it has no intention to sell. The 75-day extension presents three potential outcomes: ByteDance could reverse its position and sell to a new buyer, the Trump administration could enact new legislation to overturn the existing law, or TikTok could face a permanent ban in the United States. Given the strong bipartisan support for the current legislation, analysts consider new overturning legislation unlikely.

TikTok has not responded to CNN’s requests to comment on any potential bids.