Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast for his highest-ranked YouTube channel by subscribers, is involved in talks about buying TikTok from its China-based owner.
Donaldson’s involvement was first publicized by Employer.com founder and CEO Jesse Tinsley, who’s leading the group effort, and the group’s legal team at Paul Hastings, although MrBeast spokesperson Matthew Hiltzik said on Jan. 21 that the YouTube star hasn’t officially joined any bids.
TikTok, the U.S. version of Chinese-language video app Douyin, has accumulated 170 million American users since its launch in 2017.
Under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, enacted in April 2024, TikTok had been banned from operating in the United States since Jan. 19 because it has not been separated from its China-based owner, ByteDance Ltd….