Soulja Boy Wants To Buy TikTok Amid A Potential Ban Of The App
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Soulja Boy wants to add purchasing an endangered online platform to his list of firsts. The rapper has expressed interest in buying TikTok amid news of the app potentially being banned in America due to a new bill passed by the government and signed by the President.
On Wednesday (April 24), Soulja took to X to inquire on the current price of TikTok, tagging TikTok’s own X account in his post. “How much yall want for TikTok? I’ll buy it. @tiktok_us,” he wrote, a question that left many unsure if he was up to his usual antics or if he was serious about potentially placing a bid on the company.
The 33-year-old’s post came a day after Congress passed a bill on Tuesday (April 23) that could result in TikTok being banned in the United States, a move that was signed off on by United States President Joe Biden on Wednesday.
According to legislation under the new bill, ByteDance, the current owner of TikTok, would have to sell its controlling stake in the company in order for TikTok to remain legally authorized for usage domestically. Government officials and other parties have cited a national security risk due to TikTok’s ownership’s ties to China, a rising concern in recent years.
However, TikTok has voiced its intent to fight back against the potential forced sale, as it violates its users’ constitutional right to freedom of speech, under the First Ammendment. “Rest assured, we aren’t going anywhere,” TikTok chief executive Shou Chew said in a post on the platform. “We are confident, and we will keep fighting for your rights in the courts.”
Michael Beckerman, TikTok’s vice president of public policy, previously echoed those sentiments during a sitdown with a content creator on the platform. “Thankfully, we have a Constitution in this country, and people’s First Amendment rights are very important,” he said. “We’ll continue to fight for you and all the other users on TikTok.”
Aside from Soulja Boy, some of the prospective candidates to buy TikTok include the likes of Kevin O’Leary, Steve Mnuchin, Bobby Kotick, and others.
See Soulja Boy’s X post below.
How much yall want for TikTok? I’ll buy it. @tiktok_us
— Soulja Boy (Draco) (@souljaboy) April 24, 2024
Donald J. Trump tried to force a sale or ban of the app in 2020, but federal judges blocked the effort because it would have had the effect of shutting down a “platform for expressive activity.”
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