Bobby Kotickformer head Activision Blizzard is considering buying it TikTokas the application may be banned in the United States. The Wall Street Journal reports that it has spoken with Kotick ByteDanceThe company that owns TikTok, about buying the app, could cost hundreds of billions of dollars.
It comes as US lawmakers introduced a new bill that would have forced ByteDance to sell TikTok within six months or cease to be available on US app stores. President Joe Biden has said he would support the bill if it passes Congress.
The Wall Street Journal report adds Kotick, head OpenAI, Sam AltmanHe discussed getting together to buy TikTok at a dinner party last week.
Kotick’s interest in TikTok follows a bitter end to 30 years at the helm of Activision Blizzard, which was bought by Microsoft last year. The company faced a lawsuit alleging it condoned sexual harassment and discrimination under Kotick’s leadership. The Wall Street Journal also said Kotick knew about the misconduct and did not tell the board everything. Kotick was accused of harassment, but Activision Blizzard called the report “misleading.”
Lawmakers are concerned about data privacy and TikTok’s ties to China. US President Biden, whose administration has already banned the app from state devices, has come out in favor of banning the app in the US. However, former President Donald Trump, who once wanted to ban TikTok, has changed his mind, saying a ban would help TikTok’s rivals, such as Facebook and YouTube.
As the anti-TikTok bill gains support, the app has urged its American users to speak up, sending messages telling users to call their representatives. The bill, which passed committee last week, is expected to pass when the House votes on Wednesday. If it passes, it will then go to the Senate, where the bill will be signed into law by the US president. The former head of Activision has announced that he wants to buy TikTok
