Bobby Kotick Wants to Buy TikTok with Sam Altman, It’s Reported

Bobby Kotick, the controversial former CEO of Activision Blizzard, has expressed an interest in buying TikTok, it has been claimed. In a report published in the Wall Street Journal, Kotick’s desire to secure the sensational video-sharing application was revealed off the back of a sudden bill that surfaced that could see TikTok banned in the United States – or force it to be sold by its current owner, ByteDance.

It has been suggested that Bobby Kotick – and any partners – would need to pay ‘hundreds of billions’ of dollars to acquire TikTok.

Bobby Kotick stepped down from Activision Blizzard following Microsoft’s acquisition of the firm, and many employees were happy to see the back of him. He has sat in relative silence for a few months, but per the Wall Street Journal, he could be poised to make a move worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

In the United States, legislation is being pushed forward that demands ByteDance – a Beijing-based organisation – divest TikTok or has it banned in the United States. It was referenced in the article that 170 million Americans use TikTok, which would be a devastating blow for the Chinese organisation if a ban were to go ahead.

Reportedly, Bobby Kotick is hunting for partners to join him in the ambitious acquisition of TikTok. He apparently ‘floated the idea of partnering to buy TikTok to a table of people that included OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’.

The legislation that’s being put through Congress at present has almost been approved by President Biden already. It’s a hefty and intense situation that could see ByteDance face off against the highest echelons of the United States government – or sell and soak up billions of dollars from a party fronted by Bobby Kotick.

For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Fallout’s Magic: The Gathering cards are available now

Related