Real Estate Billionaire Assembling Bid To Buy TikTok

An American billionaire and real estate magnate has stepped up to buy TikTok following a new law that forces the sale of the app.

Frank McCourt, executive chairman of private development firm McCourt Global and former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, confirmed with Semafor he plans to purchase and rebuild TikTok. His version of the app would leverage his proprietary Project Liberty technology to put the control of personal data and digital identities back in the hands of users, McCourt said.

Tiktok Plans To Leverage Its E-Commerce Success By Building Out Industrial Infrastructure.

“TikTok presents the best and worst of the internet. It connects 170 million people and allows them to be creative and build things and enjoy things and do things,” McCourt told Semafor. “On the other hand, they don’t get to really share in the value that’s created, and their data is scraped and stolen and shipped to China.”

With the help of investment bank Guggenheim Securities, McCourt is soliciting investments from foundations, endowments, pension funds and the public to mount a bid for the app, which analysts estimate could sell for around $100B.

McCourt Global’s portfolio of projects includes the development of the Boston Seaport project and the renovation of Dodgers Stadium. The development team has planned, designed and constructed more than 30M SF of office, hotel, residential and mixed-use projects, according to the company’s website.

Bids for TikTok come after Congress passed a law that forces China-based ByteDance to sell the app within 270 days or risk being banned in app stores in the U.S. President Joe Biden signed the bill April 24.

TikTok sued the federal government in response, citing violations of the first amendment by attempting to eradicate a tool millions of Americans use to exercise freedom of speech, the New York Times reported.

The legislation has yet to deter TikTok’s real estate plans in the U.S., with the app moving forward with the buildout of its 57K SF space on Nashville’s Music Row. The company also has office space in California, Washington D.C., the Seattle suburbs and New York City.

The app poses national security risks and could be used by the Chinese government to spy on U.S. citizens, legislators who supported the bill said.

But those who use the app regularly say its benefits go beyond social networking. TikTok has become a more common tool for CRE dealmaking, with some brokers claiming the ban could be bad for business.

McCourt’s bid is likely to be challenged by other suitors eager to absorb TikTok’s massive advertising business and user base. Already, former U.S. Secretary Steve Mnuchin has expressed interest in purchasing the app, as well as Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary and Bobby Kotick, former CEO of Activision.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's National Newsletters
Related Stories

Trump's New Canadian Tariffs To Spike Additional Materials Costs

Wells Fargo Moves To Foreclose On $1.3B Workspace Property Trust Portfolio

Turner Construction Hit With Cyberattack, Hackers Claim Leaks Of Military Info, NDAs

Latest Round Of Fannie Mae Senior Staff Layoffs Has Multifamily Sector Anxious

Why Hines Is Restarting Its Development Engine

How Integrated Infrastructure Can Help AI Data Centers Deploy Faster, Build Smarter

Nvidia Buys Stake In Data Center Power Company

Invesco Cuts Fees, Adds Incentives To Quell Fund Redemption Requests

Investors Anchor Big Capital Into Marinas, Betting On Shallow Supply

Nike Closes 15 Stores Amid Tumultuous Year

Large Commercial Real Estate Sales Up 30% Despite Economic Headwinds

Evergrande Founder Sentenced To Life, 56 Others Sent To Prison In China