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- Alexis Ohanian joins a bid to acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations, aiming to integrate blockchain for better user data control.
- Competing bids from major tech firms challenge Ohanian and McCourt’s blockchain vision for TikTok’s future in the U.S.
Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian has made a significant impact with his latest move. This time, he’s joining the effort to acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations through “The People’s Bid for TikTok.”Along with former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, Ohanian aims to bring TikTok to the blockchain space so users may have more data control.
Exciting news for the digital world…
I'm officially now one of the people trying to buy TikTok US — and bring it on-chain.
TikTok has been a game-changer for creators, and it's future should be built by them↓ pic.twitter.com/SPq1Ppv1kK
— Alexis Ohanian 🗽 (@alexisohanian) March 4, 2025
Redefining Social Media: A Blockchain Vision for TikTok
This is not an ordinary situation. With hundreds of millions of Americans among its users, U.S. authorities are putting great pressure on TikTok. Unless its Chinese-based parent, ByteDance, sells its ownership, the U.S. government has threatened to prohibit the app.
ByteDance, meanwhile, argues the legal action is unfounded and has brought the matter before the Supreme Court, which has so far displayed mistrust of TikTok’s assertions of free expression.
Among this ambiguity, Ohanian and McCourt spot a wonderful chance. Their goal in bringing TikTok to the blockchain is to establish a new social media model whereby user data is owned by individuals rather than by large corporations. “Frequency,” a system that lets one have more data openness and control, is the technology meant to accomplish this objective.
Elon Musk, Microsoft, and More: Who Wants TikTok the Most?
Still, they are not the only ones drawn in. Offers to buy TikTok have reportedly come from several other companies, including Microsoft and a partnership featuring Roblox’s CEO. Actually, their proposals seem to be more substantial; numbers above $30 billion. By contrast, the group headed by Ohanian and McCourt only offered $20 billion.
Fascinatingly, other theories are also in circulation. Rumors surfaced earlier that Elon Musk would be interested in acquiring TikTok. Chinese officials, meanwhile, were fast to write off the matter as “pure fiction,” as we previously reported.
However, a report from Bloomberg stated that Musk might work with ByteDance to leverage TikTok’s large user base to strengthen his platform, X.
A New Standard for Social Media Ownership
For Ohanian, this presents a potential to establish a new benchmark in the digital space. He wants to make sure that social media’s development empowers its users rather than only serves a small number of powerful corporations. Using blockchain, he thinks people can really take control over their own data.
Still, the issue of data ownership begs significant concern among users. Alternatively, as is usually the case, they simply want a platform that is easy to use without giving the consequences behind the edge any thought.
Clearly, TikTok’s future in the US is still under uncertainty given the growing rivalry and conflicting interests at hand.
Will Ohanian and McCourt’s effort turn out successful? Alternatively, will ByteDance keep control over TikTok or let another tech company take over?
