MrBeast Joins Forces in Bold Bid to Acquire TikTok

Jesse Tinsley, CEO of the workforce management platform Employer.com, has launched one of the year’s most daring acquisition attempts. Teaming up with YouTube icon MrBeast and other prominent figures, Tinsley has submitted an all-cash bid to purchase TikTok, a move that could significantly shape the app’s future amidst ongoing uncertainty.

A Series of Bold Moves by Employer.com

This development is part of a string of high-profile moves by Employer.com under Tinsley’s leadership. Just last month, the company announced plans to acquire Bench, a Canadian accounting startup that unexpectedly shut down during the holiday season. Now, with the TikTok bid, Tinsley aims to make an even greater impact on the tech landscape.

Though the group has not disclosed the exact bid amount, their involvement signals a serious effort to save TikTok, which has faced regulatory hurdles in the United States. Legal backing for the bid includes representation from Brad Bondi, a well-known attorney and brother of former Trump administration figure Pam Bondi.

MrBeast’s Strategic Role in the TikTok Bid

The inclusion of YouTube superstar MrBeast adds a unique dimension to the acquisition attempt. Known for his viral content, philanthropic efforts, and entrepreneurial ventures, MrBeast has built a massive global following. His involvement reflects the growing influence of creators in shaping the future of digital platforms.

MrBeast’s expertise in engaging online audiences could prove invaluable for TikTok. As one of the world’s most-followed social media influencers, his insights could help transform TikTok into an even more dynamic platform, appealing to users and advertisers alike.

The Future of TikTok Remains Uncertain

TikTok has been at the center of controversy due to its parent company ByteDance’s ties to China, raising national security concerns in the United States. The platform briefly went offline last weekend but was restored hours before former President Trump signed an executive order delaying any potential ban for 75 days.

Despite these challenges, TikTok remains one of the most popular social media platforms worldwide. ByteDance has not yet confirmed whether it is seriously considering the offer from Tinsley, MrBeast, and their team. However, other prominent potential buyers, including Elon Musk, Amazon, Oracle, and billionaire Frank McCourt’s syndicate, have also expressed interest in acquiring the app.

Legal and Strategic Backing for the Bid

The legal support for the acquisition team, led by Brad Bondi, demonstrates their commitment to navigating the complex regulatory and legal landscape surrounding TikTok’s operations. The bid also highlights the increasing convergence of business, technology, and influencer power in high-stakes acquisitions.

What TikTok Ownership by MrBeast and Tinsley Could Mean

If this acquisition succeeds, it could bring transformative changes to TikTok’s operations:

Innovative Leadership: MrBeast’s expertise in content creation and online trends could redefine how TikTok engages users and grows its audience.

Regulatory Relief: Transitioning TikTok to U.S.-based ownership may help address government concerns and ensure the platform’s continued availability in the country.

New Opportunities: Employer.com’s workforce management experience could pave the way for TikTok to explore e-commerce, job-related content, and even educational features.

Creators Taking Center Stage

MrBeast’s involvement in this high-profile deal highlights a significant trend: creators are no longer just participants in the digital ecosystem—they are becoming influential players in shaping its future. By leveraging their expertise and massive reach, creators like MrBeast are increasingly driving innovative solutions to business challenges, including high-stakes acquisitions like this one.

A Pivotal Moment for TikTok

The collaborative bid led by Jesse Tinsley and MrBeast TikTok presents a bold vision for the platform’s future. With the stakes higher than ever, this acquisition attempt could secure TikTok’s place in the digital world while redefining how creators influence major business decisions.

As ByteDance weighs its options, this move represents a crucial turning point for TikTok and the broader social media landscape. For users, creators, and advertisers, the outcome of this bid could signal the beginning of a new era for the platform.

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Social Tech

Instagram Stories now offers users direct access to Meta AI editing tools

by George Mensah 2025-10-29

Meta is pushing deeper into AI territory with new AI-editing tools in Instagram Stories, where users can edit images and videos simply by typing in what they want to modify. From hair color to special effects, the feature upends the possibilities of creators and regular users alike to personalize their content.

Text Prompts Meet Visual Creativity

Until now, Instagram’s AI editing tools were primarily accessible through Meta AI’s chatbot, which required users to interact via direct messages. With this latest integration, however, AI editing becomes native to Stories, allowing anyone to make instant visual edits using plain language commands.

These new edit features come under the “Restyle” menu that can be accessed using the paintbrush icon in Instagram Stories. One can type commands such as “give me a sunset background,” “remove the person in the corner,” or “color my hair pink.” The AI carries out the edit one wants within seconds.

Meta suggests that users only have three primary actions to select from — Add, Remove, or Change — while specifying what they’d like to alter. The AI will automatically add objects, alter appearances, or completely restyle the photo based on what they’ve described.

Preset Effects and Dynamic Video Edits

In addition to custom prompts, Instagram also has pre-select AI effects that can beautify or stylize posts. Filters like sunglasses, a denim jacket, or even a watercolor art effect can be applied.

On video content, the feature does even better — creators are able to superimpose atmospheric effects like falling snow, glowing embers, or cinematic lighting, which makes Stories appear more polished and professional without the necessity of using editing apps.

Privacy and AI Usage Terms

While the new features enable creativity, they come with privacy implications. Being used to introduce users to Meta’s Terms of Service for AI, which allow the company to “analyze photos and videos, including facial data, to make AI better.” According to Meta, it allows its systems to “summarize image contents, edit images, and generate new content based on the image.”

Critics have also had concerns regarding the ways in which such data might be used to train Meta’s broader AI models, though the company has sworn to remain committed to responsible innovation and transparency.

Meta’s Expanding AI Push

The release of AI editing software is just part of Meta’s overall strategy to roll out artificial intelligence on every platform it has, from Facebook and Instagram to WhatsApp. Recently, Meta began beta-testing a “Write with Meta AI” feature, which helps users compose intelligent or engaging comments under Instagram posts.

Meanwhile, Meta’s separate Meta AI app — with its chatbot and new “Vibes” AI-generated video stream — has been picking up steam. According to Similarweb estimates, iOS and Android daily active users rose from 775,000 to 2.7 million over a four-week span as of October 17.

Protecting Younger Users

As a response to increasing complaints from regulators and parents, Meta has also added new parental tools for its AI features. Parents may now shut off chats with AI characters and filter topics that their teens have with the chatbot to provide a safer online environment.

With these new instruments, Instagram is not only emerging as a social network but a creative platform fueled by generative AI. With Meta, OpenAI, and Google competing for leadership, this launch shows how AI is becoming more a part of the social fabric of our era — blurring the line between creativity, technology, and self-expression.

Social Tech

A program is launched by Meta to promote the adoption of their Llama AI models by companies

by George Mensah 2025-05-22

Meta is rolling out red carpet treatment for AI startups with its new Llama for Startups initiative—offering cash, technical support, and exclusive access to its AI engineering team. But beneath the generous facade lies a fierce battle for dominance in the trillion-dollar generative AI market.

What Startups Get From Meta’s Program

💰 **Up to 36,000∗∗(36,000∗∗(6K/month for 6 months) in cloud credits
🤝 Direct engineering support from Meta’s Llama team
🔧 Early access to custom Llama model fine-tuning tools
🌐 Networking with other AI-first startups

Eligibility requirements are surprisingly accessible:

U.S.-based incorporation
Less than $10M in total funding
At least one developer on payroll
Building generative AI products

Deadline to apply: May 30, 2024

Why Meta Needs Startups More Than Ever

Despite 1 billion+ Llama downloads, Meta faces mounting pressure:

🔥 Competitive Threats

Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude dominate enterprise adoption
OpenAI’s GPT-4o leads in multimodal capabilities
Mistral, DeepSeek, and Alibaba’s Qwen are winning open-source favor

🚨 Recent Llama Stumbles

Llama 4 Behemoth delayed due to underperformance (WSJ)
Benchmark cheating allegations on LM Arena leaderboard
Public vs. “optimized” model discrepancies eroding trust

💸 Meta’s Make-or-Break AI Bet

Projecting 2B−2B−3B AI revenue in 2025
Banking on 460B−460B−1.4T by 2035 (yes, trillion)
Spending $900M+ annually just on GenAI R&D

The Hidden Strategy Behind the Startup Play

This isn’t just altruism—it’s a three-pronged chess move:

Lock-In Future Customers
Startups that build on Llama today become enterprise buyers tomorrow.
Crowdsource Innovation
Early adopters essentially beta-test new Llama capabilities for free.
Combat Open-Source Defections
With alternatives like Mistral gaining traction, Meta needs to make Llama indispensable.

What’s Really at Stake?

Meta’s playing a long infrastructure game:

60B−60B−80B earmarked for 2025 data centers
Revenue-sharing deals with cloud providers hosting Llama
Future Llama API monetization (Zuck hinted at ads/subscriptions)

For startups, the calculus is simple:
✅ Free money and support in a cash-strapped AI winter
❌ Risk of vendor lock-in as Llama evolves

Should Your Startup Apply?

The case for jumping in:

If you’re already using Llama, this is free acceleration
Early access could provide competitive edge
Meta’s engineering insights are gold dust for product refinement

Reasons to hesitate:

$36K doesn’t go far with today’s GPU costs
Potential IP concerns working closely with a tech giant
Llama’s long-term roadmap remains uncertain

The Bottom Line

Meta’s throwing a Hail Mary to cement Llama as the open-weight model of choice. For scrappy AI startups, it’s a rare chance to piggyback on Meta’s war chest—just don’t mistake it for a long-term partnership.

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