Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian Sr. has his eyes on a new application.
As AFROTECH™ previously told you, TikTok had been temporarily banned as a result of not adhering to a U.S. mandate requiring the China-based app to be sold to a U.S. company. On April 24, 2024, former President Joe Biden had signed a law mandating the sale due to concerns about national security and data safety for U.S. citizens. 
Owned by ByteDance, TikTok was offline just hours before the ban was to go into effect on Jan. 19, 2025. However, users were able to access the app shortly because President Donald Trump affirmed he was looking to save it.
Trump took office on Jan. 20 and extended the ban by 75 days allowing more time for a deal to be made. Since then, many individuals have stepped forward to express their interest in buying TikTok. This includes content creator MrBeast, aka Jimmy Donaldson, who has more than 115 million followers on the platform (at the time of this writing).
@mrbeast

TikTok check your inbox 👀 @TikTok

♬ original sound – MrBeast

Jesse Tinsley, founder of Employer.com, has also expressed interest in acquiring TikTok with MrBeast in an all-cash bid, Bloomberg reports. Most recently, billionaire philanthropist Frank McCourt placed a bid for TikTok, sharing plans for financing, detailing how the technology would be used, and outlining safeguards for national security concerns, per Reuters. McCourt’s bid now also includes Ohanian as a strategic adviser over social media.
“Exciting news for the digital world…I’m officially now one of the people trying to buy TikTok US — and bring it on-chain,” Ohanian wrote on LinkedIn. “TikTok has been a game-changer for creators, and it’s future should be built by them. Users should own their data. Creators should own their audience. Period. Frequency will empower these principles to become reality. And with transparency and accountability at the core, this new TikTok won’t just be fairer—it’ll be GREATER. I’ve spent my career betting on the future—starting with Reddit, Inc., then with Seven Seven Six 7️⃣7️⃣6️⃣, and now, this. We’re setting a new standard for what’s possible in digital communities. A TikTok for the people, by the people. Let’s see if we can pull this off.”