Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian joins Frank McCourts TikTok bid as strategic adviser

Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian has joined with Frank McCourt and “Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary in their bid to acquire TikTok from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, the group announced Monday.Ohanian, a venture capitalist and onetime executive chairman at Reddit, will serve as a “strategic adviser.” McCourt has referred to his plans to buy TikTok as “The People’s Bid” and wants to rebuild the app’s algorithm on US soil.“Alexis Ohanian’s role as Strategic Advisor for Project Liberty and The People’s Bid for TikTok brings invaluable expertise to our initiative,” McCourt said in a statement.“His unique vision and deep personal commitment to user empowerment through social media platforms align perfectly with our transformative approach.”President Trump has until April 5 to find a US buyer for TikTok before his executive order delaying enforcement of a federal ban on the app expires. TikTok briefly went offline in January after ByteDance missed a Jan.

19 deadline to completely divest.McCourt has said his bid will satisfy US national security concerns about TikTok — in part by rebuilding the app on a decentralized blockchain platform dubbed “Frequency” that will allow users to control how their data are used and monetized.Ohanian, who is married to tennis superstar Serena Williams, cited the group’s plan as a key reason why he decided to come aboard.“I’ve spent my entire career building tech that puts power back in people’s hands — that’s what got me excited about The People’s Bid,” Ohanian said.“This isn’t just about TikTok, it’s about fundamentally rewiring how the internet works.”McCourt and O’Leary submitted their bid to buy TikTok in early January and have said they have at least $20 billion in commitments from investors.

But as the April 5 deadline approaches, it remains unclear if ByteDance — and the Chinese government — will allow a forced sale to occur.Apple and Google briefly halted...