The US government has given several parties serious interest in buying TikTok as a deadline approaches to divest from its Chinese parent company ByteDance or shut down its US operations.
TikTok’s estimated worth is “well north of $100 billion” with its algorithm, according to analyst Dan Ives. Billionaire Frank McCourt and internet advocate Kevin O’Leary have proposed buying the platform, securing over $20 billion in funding from investors. Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has also formed an investor group to purchase TikTok.
Elon Musk, Jimmy Donaldson (MrBeast), and Bobby Kotick have been floated as possible buyers, but it’s unclear if they are actively assembling a bid for the company. President-elect Donald Trump had asked the court to pause the law allowing for a sale, aiming to negotiate a “political resolution” during his second term.
The Chinese government would likely block any sale of TikTok without its coveted algorithm, which could be used to manipulate content by Chinese authorities. The US Justice Department will enforce the law and punish violators once Trump takes office.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-buyers-divestment-ban-8429dfb422c4cefb6b0807aeb2c5cd56