Bobby Kotickformer chief activation Blizzard is reportedly considering buying it TikTokThe app may be restricted in the United States. The Wall Street Journal reports that Kotick has spoken BytedanceThe company that owns TikTok is about to buy the app, which could cost hundreds of billions of dollars.
This comes after US lawmakers introduced a new bill that would have allowed ByteDance to sell TikTok within six months or block it from being available in US app stores. President Joe Biden has said he would approve the bill if it passes Congress.
The Wall Street Journal report adds that Kotick, the chief OpenAI, Sam AltmanLast week at dinner there was a discussion about teaming up to buy TikTok.
Kotick’s interest in TikTok follows the rough end of his 30 years leading Activision Blizzard, which was acquired by Microsoft last year. The company faced a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment and discrimination under Kotick’s leadership. The Wall Street Journal also reported that Kotick knew about the misconduct and did not tell the board everything. Kotick was accused of harassment, but Activision Blizzard said the report was “misleading”.
Lawmakers are concerned about data privacy and TikTok’s ties to China. US President Biden, whose administration has already banned the app on state devices, has expressed his support for banning the app in the US. However, former President Donald Trump, who once wanted to ban Tiktok, has said that the ban will help Tiktok’s rivals like Facebook and YouTube.
After the bill against TikTok gained support, the app urged its US users to speak up for it, sending out messages asking users to call their representatives. The bill, which passed a committee last week, is expected to be approved when the House votes on Wednesday. If it passes, it will go to the Senate, and then the bill will be signed by the US president. The former head of Activision is said to want to buy TikTok.