Employer.com founder Jesse Tinsley said he’s leading a group of investors who are looking to keep TikTok in the United States while securing American data.
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.
President Donald Trump on Monday ordered a 75-day pause on any enforcement of the law to “allow my Administration an opportunity to determine the appropriate course forward in an orderly way that protects national security while avoiding an abrupt shutdown of a communications platform used by millions of Americans.”
He added that the “unfortunate timing” of the ban on the day before his inauguration interfered with his “ability to assess the national security and foreign policy implications of the Act’s prohibitions before they take effect” and his “ability to negotiate a resolution to avoid an abrupt shutdown of the TikTok platform while addressing national security concerns.”
Trump has since proposed that the U.S. government could enter a joint venture with interested U.S. companies to own half of TikTok, in exchange for a permit that would allow the app to keep running in the United States.
In a statement posted on X on Tuesday, Tinsley said he has met with the president and his team to talk about his offer to buy TikTok.
He said a team of investors, including Donaldson and Employer.com, had “officially submitted a compelling all-cash offer to ByteDance to keep TikTok in the U.S.,” and is “awaiting a response from ByteDance’s board.”
Exciting News, America! 🇺🇸
— Jesse Tinsley (@JesseTinsley) January 21, 2025
I'm in Washington DC at the inauguration to meet with President Trump and his team to discuss our offer to buy TikTok.
We've assembled an incredible team of investors led by me including @MrBeast @Employerdotcom among many of the great institutions…
“This is about more than just a platform. It’s about ensuring TikTok remains a safe space where freedom of speech thrives, and where creators and communities can connect, inspire, and share ideas safely and respecting data privacy,” he wrote.
By Lily Zhou
