OnlyFans Founder Teams Up with HBAR Foundation to Make a Bid for TikTok
The founder of OnlyFans, Tim Stokely, has returned to the spotlight with an audacious ambition: to acquire TikTok. His new startup, Zoop, has partnered with the HBAR Foundation, the main supporter of the Hedera blockchain, to form a consortium ready to acquire the Chinese social network owned by ByteDance.
A Proposal Sent to the White House by HBAR and Zoop
According to Reuters, this alliance has officially expressed its intention to acquire TikTok by submitting a proposal to the White House and President Donald Trump. This initiative comes as ByteDance faces an ultimatum: to divest from TikTok by April 5th or face the app’s banishment from the US market for national security reasons. This deadline is the result of a law that came into effect on January 19th, intensifying political pressure on the Chinese company.
A Web3 Vision for TikTok
Behind this acquisition attempt, the ambitions expressed by Zoop’s co-founders go far beyond a simple change of shareholders.
Our offer for TikTok is not just about ownership. It aims to create a new paradigm in which creators and their communities directly benefit from the value they generate.
RJ Phillips, Co-CEO of Zoop, alongside Tim Stokely
This statement resonates with the ideals of the HBAR Foundation, which advocates for a decentralized economy where users regain control over their data and income. If the acquisition proposal succeeds, TikTok could become the first globally significant social network to adopt a blockchain-based model and equitable distribution of value.
A Battle of Bids Yet to Come for TikTok
The amount of the offer has not been disclosed, but the involvement of the HBAR Foundation suggests a project supported by a large consortium of investors. However, the competition is expected to be fierce. According to the New York Times, Amazon and Apple have also submitted proposals to acquire TikTok, raising the stakes to a level where only tech giants can truly compete.
In the coming days, Donald Trump is expected to consider at least one of these offers, as the future of TikTok in the United States remains hanging on both political and economic decisions.
