Kevin O’Leary reveals how much he’s willing to pay to save TikTok before Sunday deadline
Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary has revealed he is willing to pay $20 billion to save TikTok.
Speak by telephone Fox News with Bill HemmerO’Leary talked about possibly purchasing the video steaming app before dark on Sunday.
When asked about a figure for the app, which will be banned unless it is sold, he said: “Right now there’s $20 billion on the table, cash, cash. $20 billion,” when asked if that would be enough, he said, “Well, I don’t know.”
O’Leary said any company that buys TikTok would face fines totaling more than $1 billion per day.
He added, “This thing goes dark at midnight because who’s going to take a billion seven chances at midnight?
‘Who’s going to do that? Which counselor would advise? This is the most interesting, complicated and crazy situation I have ever been involved in. I’m very excited about it.’
His comments came after the Supreme Court allowed the ban to take effect in the United States.
The court ruled after TikTok argued that a law banning the app would violate the First Amendment rights of their users.
O’Leary spoke to Bill Hemmer over the phone on Fox News and talked about possibly purchasing the video steaming app before dark on Sunday

TikTok has about 170 million users in the US. The ban will come into effect on January 19
Last year, Congress passed a law banning TikTok unless its Chinese parent company ByteDance sells its shares before January 19, 2025.
U.S. officials expressed concern that the wildly popular app is a national security issue related to the collection of U.S. data. But with the clock ticking down on the deadline, no deal has been completed.
TikTok, along with some users and creators, has filed a lawsuit in an attempt to block the ban. But their efforts were rejected by lower courts, leaving them no choice but to appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case on January 10 and indicated that it would not interfere with the ban that comes into effect on Sunday.
In that decision, the country’s highest court noted on Friday that the provisions of the law in question were substantively neutral and focused on a foreign adversary’s control of a platform rather than specific expressions.
About 170 million Americans use the video app, and some warned that banning the Chinese app would disrupt the businesses and livelihoods of millions of Americans.
The path forward now depends on how the new Trump administration responds, as TikTok CEO Shou Zi will sit in a place of honor along with other tech leaders at the inauguration of President-elect Trump on Monday.
Moments after the decision, President-elect Trump told CNN that TikTok’s fate “ultimately falls to me, so you’re going to see what I do.”

Protesters outside the Supreme Court as it heard oral arguments on the TikTok ban on January 10
Despite the ban set to take effect on Sunday, President Biden signaled he would not enforce it, leaving it up to Trump, who takes office on Monday.
During his first term, Trump raised concerns about TikTok posing a threat to national security, but he has since gone a step further and changed his tune.
Last month, after winning the election, Trump met with TikTok’s CEO at his Mar-a-Lago estate and signaled his intention to end the ban.
“I have a little warm spot in my heart, I’ll be honest,” Trump told reporters on the video streaming app.
He credits the app with helping him make gains with youth in the 2024 elections.
It’s not clear exactly what the app will look like when users start using it after it is banned on Sunday.
Influencers on the app, meanwhile, are sharing videos of themselves crying over the move.

Last month, after winning the election, Trump met with TikTok’s CEO at his Mar-a-Lago estate and signaled his intention to end the ban
In a video uploaded minutes after the Supreme Court’s decision was revealed, TikTok influencer Madilynn Cameron outlined the loss of the app to her 1.1 million followers.
“Well, the Supreme Court upheld the ban,” she said. “This is not how I saw it happening today, I had a little bit of faith in our broken government system.
“Our government has failed us… I’m so frustrated I can’t even talk.”
Hours before the decision was announced, makeup influencer Kylie Park shared a tearful video of herself at the prospect of losing the platform, slamming followers who told her she should get a “real job.”
“It really hit me tonight that TikTok might not exist anymore,” she said through tears.
“I know some of you can’t relate and don’t understand, you’re like ‘You guys need to get a 9 to 5 job’ – let me tell you right now: social media, TikTok, content creation is a real full-time job.’
Park, who has nearly a million followers, said her fear of losing the platform “isn’t about the money,” and said she was angry about losing her “safe place.”
‘This is my safe place, it really is. “I come to TikTok when I have anxiety, when I need a break from anything,” she said.
Cruise ship singer Emily Senn shared a tearful video with her 350,000 followers in which she said she would “never forgive” the US government for allowing TikTok to be banned.
“I will never trust you again because you just took away the income and livelihood of millions of people,” she said.