It’s all hands on deck at TikTok HQ, and with the Doomsday Clock at one minute to midnight, the popular short-form video app could be banned in America in just a number of days. We’ve known that TikTok could be banned in the U.S. since the United States Army and Navy banned it on government devices in January 2020. As members of Congress have continued to raise concerns that the Chinese-owned ByteDance might be spying on us through TikTok, March 2024 saw the United States House of Representatives pass H.R. 7521, known as the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.

ByteDance was warned that TikTok would be banned in America unless it sold its U.S. operations to a non-Chinese entity.

Skeptics don’t think MrBeast could raise the funds to buy TikTok (Amazon Prime Video)

The January 19 deadline is looming, and with the Supreme Court looking like it will slam down the ban hammer, there’s a last-minute scramble to find a buyer.

Even though it could be a case of too little, too late, some major tech powers are circling.

After Elon Musk was rumored to be TikTok’s knight in shining armor, Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson has suggested he could also bring TikTok back from the brink of being banned.

While Musk is the richest man in the world and his reported net worth of $420 billion far exceeds Donaldson’s apparent $1 billion, MrBeast has still made an impressive sum as the most-subscribed channel on YouTube.

With analysts previously claiming TikTok’s U.S. operations could be worth up to $50 billion, MrBeast is far short of having enough money to buy it outright. Then again, Musk took out some hefty loans to buy Twitter (now known as X) in 2022. Elsewhere, Canadian investor and Shark Tank‘s Kevin O’Leary, aka Mr. Wonderful, has also suggested he might be interested.

In the aftermath of the Musk rumors, MrBeast took to X and wrote: “Okay fine, I’ll buy Tik Tok so it doesn’t get banned.”

Both Musk and Donaldson are divisive characters, although MrBeast definitely feels like he fits the demographic of TikTok more than Musk. The problem is, we can’t tell if he’s joking about a potential purchase. We won’t pretend to understand the logistics of buying TikTok’s U.S. operations, but we doubt it’d happen before January 19.

Others in the comments were split by the idea of MrBeast buying TikTok, with someone saying: “Better than Elon buying it.”

Another added: “You don’t want to p*ss off YouTube. They would likely destroy your algorithm reach if you owned their competitor. It would be a risk.

“What if YouTube overtakes TikTok? Also you would have to get quite the loan, and involve venture capital investors. It could be the right move… what do I know? 🤷‍♀️”

Someone else concluded: “I think Mr. Wonderful and Elon beat you to it, but you guys should all just partner together. Make it the Instagram version of the X platform where you can post on X at the same time, like how Facebook and Instagram cross over.

“There is a lot of potential to grow, and start-up companies explode on there, and it helps people be creative on that platform. It’s like the as seen on TV of social media platforms and more 😆”

Interestingly, the official Kick X account replied and said: “50/50? Kick Tok has a nice ring to it.”

The comments were filled with plenty of jokes about Donaldson giving away TikTok to one lucky subscriber (echoing the formula of many of his popular videos), and while many remain unconvinced that MrBeast could even find the funds to buy TikTok, this could turn into a bidding war between some of the tech industry’s biggest names.

MrBeast might just have handed American TikTok users a lifeline, as he’s now confirmed that a serious offer is being prepared to purchase the short form video content app – at least in the United States.

TikTok‘s future has remained up in the air for the best part of the year following the bipartisan bill President Biden signed into law in April 2024 that would ban the social media app in the United States unless it was sold within a year.

The reason behind this threatened ban – which comes closer to reality with every passing day – is due to concerns over national security, specifically that TikTok parent company ByteDance has alleged links to the Chinese government.

Justice department lawyer Elizabeth B. Prelogar has claimed that the app could be used by China “at any time to harm the United States,” and if TikTok isn’t sold to an entity that is unconnected to a ‘foreign adversary’ by January 19, it will officially be removed from the US market.

MrBeast is allegedly lining up a bid alongside multiple billionaires to ‘save’ TikTok for Americans (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

Reports have alleged that Elon Musk has been in talks to purchase the app, but YouTube sensation Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson has confirmed his own interest in buying TikTok with the support of ‘several billionaires’.

This all started when MrBeast posted on X: “Okay fine, I’ll buy TikTok so it doesn’t get banned.” This was followed up with a reply that declared: “Unironically I’ve had so many billionaires reach out to me since I tweeted this, let’s see if we can pull this off.”

While it’s unclear whether Donaldson’s initial post was fully serious, he’s now officially confirmed his interest in a video on the app that he wishes to buy.

The video, captioned “TikTok check your inbox [eyes emoji] @TikTok” shows MrBeast in a room with his ‘lawyer’ holding a briefcase, and the words ‘How We Buy TikTok’ on several whiteboards behind the pair.

“I just got out of a meeting with a bunch of billionaires – TikTok we mean business,” declares MrBeast. He goes on to say that he has an offer ready to buy the platform, that “America deserves TikTok,” and that he wants to “save this platform.”

This certainly appears to be an expression of intent, but it’s still not fully clear whether MrBeast intends to go through with this or whether it’s some kind of elaborate joke.

While there’s no doubt that Donaldson is rich, having earned around $85,000,000 in 2024 alone, it would take quite a few billionaires in order to support a bid large enough to purchase even the American portion of TikTok. Reports indicate that it would take anywhere between $62 billion and $77 billion to purchase the US side, stretching up to $180 billion to pick up the app in its entirety.

Concessions might be made considering the situation that would leave the app removed from the region entirely, but it certainly won’t make it much cheaper.

Some have even speculated that America doesn’t ‘need’ TikTok any more after many have flocked over to Chinese alternative Xiaohongshu, otherwise known as RedNote.

There also remains a fear that the bid, if successful, would leave TikTok in a similar state to Twitter following Elon Musk‘s takeover. “This could be arguably worse than Elon buying Twitter,” argues one user in reaction to MrBeast’s potential bid, but it would take a significant loss to match the 72% drop in value that Twitter has suffered since October 2022.

With an estimated net worth of up to $1 billion, Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson makes his money from YouTube, his Beast Burger, Feastables, and more. With more subscribers on his YouTube account than there are people in the United States, MrBeast has made a name for himself with his viral videos.

He’s recently been talking about a potential purchase of TikTok to save it from being banned, but in another corner of the tech world, he’s spoken out about a potential move into cryptocurrency. Donald and Melania Trump have just launched their own memecoins, and as they have shown in such a small amount of time, memecoins can be pretty lucrative. Then again, the disaster of Haliey “Hawk Tuah Girl” Welch being accused of making her own as a scam shows that it’s not that easy.

MrBeast has shut down memecoin rumors (Alexi Rosenfeld / Contributor / Getty)

Posting on X (formerly Twitter), MrBeast said: “I could probably launch a meme coin and make hundreds of millions of dollars but idk. Just feels icky, I’ll pass.”

If one 13-year-old boy can make $30,000 off a memecoin, we’re sure MrBeast could do it. Then again, the mention of it being ‘icky’ is something echoed by a lot of people.

Memecoins have been referred to as ‘gambling’, with UK-based memecoin trader Sam Baker saying most of them are based on internet trends that “you have never even heard of” and rely on influencers pushing them on social media.

Baker admits there’s ‘no intrinsic value’ in memecoins and no rhyme or reason to which ones flourish while others flop: “It is a pure form of gambling. It is like buying a lottery ticket. But some of them are going to rise by 10,000% or 20,000%.”

Speaking to The Guardian, Baker continued: “It’s monetising people’s attention from social media. It’s a crossover from web 2.0, which is social media, to web 3.0, which is decentralised finance and crypto.

“Although they are bonkers, memecoins represent the modern monetisation of the attention economy.”

Recent memecoin launches even involve ones based on Squid Game, which we’re surprised MrBeast hasn’t got in on given his controversial Beast Games series.

The idea that MrBeast was going to launch a memecoin kicked off when the Solana Foundation started following him on X. This was followed by a post from the Crypto Beast account saying the launch would happen in just a few days.

It seems that most are happy MrBeast won’t be dipping his toe in the memecoin pool.

One critic wrote: “It’s definitely tempting given how quickly meme coins can rise in value, but I get why it might feel ‘icky.’

“The volatility and speculative nature of meme coins can sometimes make it feel like a risky or shallow move, especially if you’re not fully invested in the long-term value. It’s a solid choice to pass if it doesn’t sit right with you!”

Another added, “It’s icky amplified by 100. It’s dirty in every way and the fact that the president and First Lady are doing it, makes me feel like the end is near.”

Some wanted him to try it, with a third concluding: “You could make hundreds of millions of dollars and give it to charity. It should help a lot of people.”

At least we won’t see MrBeast going the way of Hawk Tuah Girl where he can be accused of losing his fans their life savings.

With a potential TikTok ban fast-approaching, here’s everything you need to know about what the ban would mean.

It’s a bad time to be a TikTok creator in America, and while 2024 might’ve seen your revenue boom on the short-form video platform, 2025 could be about to hit you hard. In April 2024, President Joe Biden warned that TikTok could be banned in America in 2025, and as the big day looms, time is running out for developer ByteDance unless it sells to a non-Chinese owner.

The ban could decimate TikTok, but in an unexpected turn, President-elect Donald Trump wants to overturn the ban.

In December 2024, Trump asked the US Supreme Court to place the ban on hold, hoping that he can “resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office.”

If successful, Apple and Google would have to pull TikTok from their respective app stores, while service providers would also remove it from U.S. browsers.

When could TikTok be banned in America?

TikTok could be banned in America as early as January 2025 (Anadolu / Contributor / Getty)

As far back as January 2020, there have been concerns about TikTok’s status in the USA. It was then that the United States Army and Navy banned the app on all government devices because the Defense Department deemed it a security risk.

January 19 is the all-important date that TikTok is expected to go dark in the USA. That’s unless the US Supreme Court intervenes.

Toward the end of 2023, US District Judge Donald Molloy delivered a preliminary injunction to block a law in Montana that banned TikTok from all devices. Molloy said it ‘oversteps state power’ and violates the Constitution.

Unfortunately, TikTok is so far a little unlucky in court, with a federal appeals court rejecting its arguments in December 2024. Despite TikTok asking for a delay until the Supreme Court has said its piece, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals also rejected it.

As for Tiktok finding a new buyer, CBS News reports that the company has said it will shutter itself in the USA if the US Supreme Court upholds the ban, suggesting it isn’t looking for someone else to take over.

Why is TikTok being banned in America?

TikTok remains one of the most popular apps in the world (NurPhoto / Contributor / Getty)

Biden warned ByteDance that it would have to divest from its Chinese owners and sell TikTok to a company that wasn’t controlled by a ‘foreign adversary.’ TikTok sued as the case went to the US Supreme Court, and with arguments being heard on January 10, it gave TikTok just nine days to stop the ban hammer coming down.

Despite the Supreme Court previously being a little camera shy, you can tune in to watch what went down during the case.

TikTok claims that over seven million businesses would ‘devastated’ by the ban, with 170 American reportedly being ‘silenced.’

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew previously called the ban ‘ironic’, stating: “The freedom of expression on TikTok reflects the same American values that make the United States a beacon of freedom. TikTok gives everyday Americans a powerful way to be seen and heard, and that’s why so many people have made TikTok a part of their daily lives.”

CIA analysts claimed that while it was possible for the Chinese government to obtain personal information via TikTok, there was no evidence that it actually has.

During deliberation, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh said: “Congress and the president were concerned that China was accessing information about millions of Americans, tens of millions of Americans, including teenagers, people in their 20s.”

Kavanaugh raised concerns that data could be used “over time to develop spies, to turn people, to blackmail people, people who a generation from now will be working in the FBI or the CIA or in the State Department. Is that not a realistic assessment by Congress and the president of the risks here?”

What does the future of TikTok look like?

The US Supreme Court is expected to rule quickly on a possible TikTok ban (Kevin Dietsch / Staff / Getty)

For now, it’s not looking good for TikTok.

The New York Times paints a grim picture for TikTok, and on Jan 10, it posted an article suggesting the justices are expected to rule quickly and ban TikTok in America.

Despite several justices being concerned that the law could violate the First Amendment, the site claims the majority are satisfied that it’s not going for TikTok’s right to speech, but for its Chinese-controlled ownership.

It seems unlikely that ByteDance will sell to a non-Chinese owner before January 19, meaning the whole app could soon be removed in the USA.

If there are signs of a deal, President Biden could extend the deadline by 90 days – a decision that’s been championed by Senator Ed Markey and Senator Rand Paul.

In terms of potential buyers, former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick have both shown an interest, while former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has suggested a decentralized TikTok could be rebuilt on a blockchain.

The future of TikTok remains unclear, but 2025 could be one for the history books if one of the world’s most popular apps goes dark in the USA.