At the end of 2023, Bobby Kotick left his position as head of Activision Blizzard, and now he may be facing a new challenge. The manager wants to buy Tiktok – and preferably with ChatGPT manufacturer OpenAI! The reason for the considerations is a legislative proposal that will soon pass through the Senate and House of Representatives in the USA.
It could be decided that the Chinese company ByteDance would have to separate from Tiktok, otherwise the app would be blocked in the app stores six months after the law came into force and thus practically taken off the market. US President Joe Biden has already signaled that he will sign the law after approval by both chambers. There is therefore a high probability that it will come into force sooner or later. The reason for the initiative is, on the one hand, fears that ByteDance is using Chinese authorities to investigate US citizens via Tiktok.
On the other hand, many politicians and citizens see the social network as a channel through which Western youth are manipulated and ultimately dumbed down; So if ByteDance puts Tiktok up for sale, Bobby Kotick could step in. According to the media report, he discussed the idea at a dinner with, among others, Sam Altman, the head of OpenAI.
During his time at Activision, Kotick also attracted criticism for earning hundreds of millions of dollars in salary, while allegations of sexual harassment and the like against work colleagues were raised within the company – but Kotick did nothing and left after the purchase by Microsoft pay out another 15 million. However, he probably doesn't have enough money for Tiktok! The Wall Street Journal estimates the price for the social network to be several hundred billion US dollars, making it the most expensive takeover in history that no company alone, and certainly no individual, can probably afford.