Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian has joined Frank McCourt's bid to acquire TikTok's U.S. operations, serving as a strategic adviser specializing in social media. This development comes amid ongoing uncertainty about ByteDance's willingness to sell.

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Ohanian brings significant experience to the bid, having co-founded Reddit and later helping revitalize it as executive chair in 2014. His investment portfolio includes successful tech companies like Patreon, OpenSea, and Instacart.

McCourt's bid, submitted in early January, comes as part of Project Liberty and aims to address national security concerns raised by American agencies. The White House has received comprehensive information about the bid, including financing details and technological approach.

Key developments in the TikTok situation:

• President-elect Trump delayed the Biden-era ban by 75 days
• Vice President JD Vance is overseeing the sale process
• ByteDance shows reluctance to engage in sales talks
• No banker has been retained for the potential sale
• ByteDance appears to prefer shutting down U.S. operations over selling them

McCourt emphasizes Ohanian's value to the bid, noting his understanding of social media's evolution and ability to communicate with both technical and non-technical audiences. Despite these efforts, ByteDance's apparent unwillingness to sell raises questions about the feasibility of any acquisition.

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