Reddit co-founder joins bid to buy TikTok and bring it on-chain

Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit, has confirmed that he is among those looking to acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations.

If the bid to purchase the short-form video platform’s U.S. business succeeds, Ohanian says the goal is to bring it on-chain.

The Reddit co-founder noted this after Reuters reported that he had joined Frank McCourt’s bid to buy off TikTok U.S. Ohania, a prominent individual in the social media technology space and across Silicon Valley, will work with McCourt and Project Liberty as a strategic advisor.

“TikTok has been a game-changer for creators, and it’s future should be built by them,” Ohanian added. 

Ohanian’s remarks on X follow McCourt’s comments that he welcomes the Reddit co-founder as part of the bid. He is an experienced individual whose input could be important in the bid to take over TikTok’s assets in the U.S., McCourt said.

Most importantly, Ohanian understands the social media space and “where it’s evolving.”

Project Liberty’s vision for TikTok U.S. includes integrating blockchain technology, giving users greater control over their data, its usage, and sharing.

Commenting on this and how Ohanian could help, McCourt noted:

“Where he can help mostly is validating but also socializing what we’re doing. This is a project which has very sophisticated technology at the core, and so you’re dealing with a very specific audience when it comes to demonstrating the validity of that technology and in how it works, and why it’s necessary.”

TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese internet company. The app went off U.S. app stores briefly after a ban went into effect, with Apple and Google relisting it following President Donald Trump’s intervention. Traders on prediction markets see odds of a ban as being higher.

Ohanian’s investment portfolio includes Instacart, Patreon and OpenSea.