Reddit co-founder steps into the battle for TikTok

The last few weeks have been so turbulent and chock-full of sensations; one might very easily forget that TikTok's fate in the US is far from clear. It's not decided what happens to the favorite app of 170 million of US users – and I'm sure some of them will get much angrier over an eventual TikTok shutdown than any other geopolitical shift.

There are many who'd like to buy the social media platform – and the newest bidder is Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of the extremely popular online forum platform Reddit. He's joining US businessman Frank McCourt's bid for TikTok. McCourt has previously stated that he's OK with the idea to team up with other businessmen for TikTok.

Ohanian is what you call a pioneering figure in the internet space: he co-founded Reddit alongside his University of Virginia roommate. After selling the platform to Conde Nast in 2006, he later returned in 2014 as executive chair to guide its revitalization. Beyond Reddit, he has made investments in several tech companies, including Instacart, Patreon, and OpenSea.

That's why McCourt thinks Ohanian has an extensive experience in social media's evolution, emphasizing his understanding of both its past and future directions. According to McCourt, Ohanian will play a key role in promoting Project Liberty's bid to acquire TikTok’s US operations. Branded as "The People's Bid", the initiative aims to run the app on a platform that enables users to have greater control over how their data is managed and shared.

So far, so good, but will the US-branded TikTok offer the same magical algorithm that users seem to love? I'd bet a reasonable amount of money that most of the users don't really give a damn about their data and just want that TikTok algorithm goodness. And ByteDance has said it's precisely because of the secret-sauce-algorithm that they do not want to sell TikTok.

Be it as it may, McCourt explained that Ohanian's primary contribution would be in validating and raising awareness about the project. He noted that the bid involves highly advanced technology, requiring engagement with a specialized audience to demonstrate its reliability and necessity. At the same time, there is a broader, non-technical audience that is significantly impacted by such technology, often without fully realizing its implications.

The former Los Angeles Dodgers owner and his partners submitted their bid for TikTok in early January, just as a deadline loomed that would compel ByteDance to sell the app to a US-based entity or face a ban. The platform briefly ceased operations in the country on January 19, hours before the ban was set to take effect. However, it began restoring service after President-elect Donald Trump announced plans to reinstate access. Trump later extended the deadline by 75 days and assigned Vice President JD Vance to oversee the sale process.