Activision’s former boss reportedly wants to buy TikTok

Bobby Kotickformer manager Activision Blizzard is reportedly considering a purchase TikTokbecause the app may be banned in the United States. The Wall Street Journal reports that Kotick spoke with ByteDancethe company that owns TikTok, about buying the app, which could cost hundreds of billions of dollars.
This comes as US lawmakers introduce new legislation that would have ByteDance sell off TikTok within six months or prevent it from being available in US app stores. President Joe Biden said he would approve the bill if it passes Congress.
The Wall Street Journal report adds that Kotick, the presenter OpenAI, Sam Altmanthey discussed teaming up to buy TikTok over dinner last week.
Kotick’s interest in TikTok follows the rocky end of his 30-year run of Activision Blizzard, which Microsoft bought last year. The company faced a lawsuit alleging it allowed 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 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 from government devices, expressed his support for 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 asked its US users to advocate for it, sending messages telling users to call their representatives. The bill, which passed committee last week, is expected to be approved when the House votes on Wednesday. If it passes, then it will go to the Senate, and then the law will be signed by the President of the USA. Activision’s former boss reportedly wants to buy TikTok