Former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has reportedly expressed interest in purchasing TikTok, according to reports from The Wall Street Journal. Kotick, who left Activision last year following its acquisition by Microsoft, has floated the idea to Zhang Yiming, the cofounder of ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, as well as to OpenAI's Sam Altman.
The discussions come as a proposed bill in Congress gains momentum, which would require TikTok to sell to a US-based entity or face potential shutdown. The bill was recently approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee and is set for a vote in the House, with President Joe Biden indicating he would sign it into law.
The potential acquisition of TikTok by Kotick could be significant, with the Journal estimating the price tag to be in the hundreds of billions of dollars. However, TikTok has expressed concerns about the proposed bill, viewing it as an effective ban that would hinder its global operations and user appeal.
Lawmakers have raised national security concerns over TikTok's ownership by a Chinese company, fearing that user data could be compromised. This has led to calls for the app to be sold to a US-based entity to mitigate these risks.
Kotick's interest in TikTok comes amidst his own controversial tenure at Activision, where he faced scrutiny over his handling of sexual harassment claims within the company. Despite these controversies, Kotick's potential involvement in the TikTok deal remains uncertain as the app navigates the changing regulatory landscape in the US.