MrBeast, the wildly popular YouTube sensation, sparked speculation Tuesday with bold claims about intentions to save TikTok from a looming U.S. ban.
The YouTuber initially tweeted, "Okay fine, I'll buy TikTok so it doesn't get banned."
The announcement, which amassed hundreds of thousands of likes on X, reportedly caught the attention of powerful players.
"Unironically I've had so many billionaires reach out to me since I tweeted this, let's see if we can pull this off," MrBeast later tweeted.
Unironically I’ve had so many billionaires reach out to me since I tweeted this, let’s see if we can pull this off 🙌🏻
— MrBeast (@MrBeast) January 14, 2025
MrBeast's comments come amid growing U.S. scrutiny of TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance. The China-based company faces a Jan. 19 deadline to sell the app or risk being banned in the U.S., as reported by CNBC.
This decision follows ongoing debates over national security risks and concerns about data access by the Chinese government.
Following MrBeast's announcement, X users chimed in, with one commenting, "lol tiktok keeps saying they are not selling to anyone."
"Sometimes, one tweet can spark a movement. If this happens, it could reshape how social platforms are managed..." another added.
Others shared the sentiment that the popular YouTuber should use his money for other causes. "With the money you'd use to buy TikTok, you could give every person on the planet $1 billion and end global poverty," one user commented.
High-profile interest in buying TikTok is nothing new as Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary also expressed desire to save the platform, as reported by Fast Company. Elon Musk has also been rumored to be part of contingency plans.
There is no official confirmation that these discussions have progressed beyond early-stage deliberations. A TikTok representative dismissed the Musk reports as "pure fiction" in a statement to CNBC.
The Supreme Court, meanwhile, has been deliberating on the legislation that could see TikTok banned outright. Legal arguments hinge on whether such a ban infringes on freedom of speech.
