Amid TikTok's uncertain future in the country until it comes under a US owner, 40-year-old Reid Rasner has made an offer to buy TikTok for $50 billion. According to reports, the wealthy Wyoming entrepreneur has approached Chinese parent company ByteDance with his offer.
Reid Rasner heads a media company and founded several firms in the state. In his offer, he said he wants to buy TikTok for Wyoming as he wants Wyoming to have jobs. “By establishing TikTok’s operations in Wyoming, Reid will ignite a new era of economic diversification, creating thousands of high-paying jobs that will not only benefit the tech sector but also supercharge Wyoming’s energy, agriculture, and tourism industries,” the letter from Rasner Media counsel Steve Roberts states.
“This initiative will bring high-skilled workers, cutting-edge innovation, and new investment opportunities into the state, strengthening the economy while ensuring Wyoming remains a national leader in multiple sectors.”
“While traditional tech hubs struggle with skyrocketing energy prices and unreliable grids, Wyoming offers unmatched energy stability, efficiency, and sustainability,” the letter says.
President Donald Trump promised that he would save TikTok which was not available for download for over three weeks but then came back in February. Trump said he was working to bring TikTok under US ownership before his executive order stalling the ban on the app expires in 75 days. Trump said Microsoft was one of the multiple companies interested in buying TikTok. Vice President JD Vance has been given the responsibility of managing the deal.
Rasner is a new name in bidding for TikTok as many names are doing the rounds as possible buyers like billionaires Larry Ellison, Frank McCourt, Shark Tank star Kevin O'Leary. Elon Musk said he was not interested in buying TikTok.
Rasner who described himself as a proud 4th generation Wyomingite challenged Sen John Barrassi (R-Wyo) in the state's 2024 Republican primary but lost.