TLDR
- Alexis Ohanian has teamed up with Project Liberty to attempt a purchase of TikTok's U.S. sector, marking a transformative mission for the platform.
- The strategy is to transition TikTok onto the blockchain using an advanced protocol known as Frequency.
- This ambitious project aims to empower everyday users by giving them ownership of their data and creators greater authority over their audiences.
- Frank McCourt, who initiated Project Liberty, introduces the initiative as 'The People’s Bid,' emphasizing a goal of sheer transparency in how the platform functions.
- Amidst rising security concerns, TikTok is under pressure to divest its U.S. operations or potentially face prohibition unless its owner, ByteDance, complies.
Alexis Ohanian of Reddit fame has declared his part in this high-stakes endeavor. Ohanian unveiled his participation in a bid to take over TikTok's U.S. dealings.
The entrepreneur shared on March 3 about his collaboration with Project Liberty, aiming to enhance TikTok by leveraging blockchain for unprecedented control over digital assets.
Ohanian's announcement on X (formerly known as Twitter) highlighted a collaborative effort to take TikTok to the blockchain universe while ByteDance faces the possibility of parting with its U.S. interests under political duress.
A thrilling development within the digital landscape is unfolding...
I am now officially among those striving to acquire TikTok U.S. and convert it into a blockchain-based entity.
TikTok revolutionized content creation, and its next chapter should be led by the very creators it empowered. pic.twitter.com/SPq1Ppv1kK
— Alexis Ohanian 🗽 (@alexisohanian) March 4, 2025
Frank McCourt, a prominent American entrepreneur, established Project Liberty as a means to radically redesign platforms, enabling people to reclaim control over their digital presence.
The moniker 'The People’s Bid' was chosen by McCourt to encapsulate the group's ambition to refashion TikTok toward a model that emphasizes direct data governance by users and autonomy for content creators.
Ohanian voiced emphatic beliefs about how social platforms should evolve: individuals must possess rights to their data, and content creators deserve full autonomy over their audience.
If the acquisition prevails, the deployment of the 'Frequency' protocol will occur—this is a groundbreaking decentralized networking system operating on Polkadot, crafted to uphold users' data stakes.
Ohanian elaborated how 'Frequency' will make these principles concrete: crafting an environment centered on transparency and accountability will elevate TikTok beyond fairness to greatness.
This acquisition effort coincides with U.S. political dynamics regarding TikTok. Once targeted for a ban, the platform was resurrected by a presidential decree, securing a temporary reprieve.
Kevin O'Leary, famed investor and crypto supporter from 'Shark Tank,' has also pledged support to the Project Liberty initiative aiming to obtain TikTok U.S.
Reddit Crypto Reserves
Blockchain has long been within Ohanian's scope. During his Reddit tenure, strategic cryptocurrency investments in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Polygon were notable, although largely liquidated by 2024's third quarter.
Under Ohanian's guidance, Reddit embarked on blockchain campaigns, such as releasing 'Reddit Collectible Avatars,' which were NFTs based on Polygon for user profiles.
Previously, Reddit had trialed 'Community Points,' an Ethereum-oriented rewards scheme for subreddit contributions, which unfortunately ended in 2023's tail end.
Ohanian's involvement with cryptocurrencies dates back to an acquisition of 50,000 ETH priced at $0.30 each in 2014, with crypto playing a role in personal transactions.
Reportedly, in 2021, Ohanian was contemplating launching a decentralized social media project, seemingly in collaboration with FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried. on the Solana blockchain The underpinning blockchain for TikTok's new iteration, 'Frequency,' integrates cutting-edge social media functionalities like a unique pricing model for sizable social engagements and cross-platform app synergy.
Ohanian emphasized, 'We are pioneering new norms in digital societies—a TikTok shaped and governed by its users. It's time we see if we can realize this vision.'
Kooc Media's founder and Blockonomi's Editor-in-Chief heralds the virtues of open-source, blockchain, and maintaining a fair internet globally.