"At the bottom of the list": Shark Tank investor Kevin O'Leary hints at the possibility of buying TikTok

Shark Tank mentor Kevin O'Leary shared a video clip on April 25, 2025, via Instagram, sharing his thoughts on purchasing TikTok. He discussed how there have been various negotiations between the Chinese and the US presidents.

However, he stated that if the Chinese President Xi decides to sell TikTok, he wants to buy it. He added that he didn't know what President Xi wanted. In addition to that, ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok, won't matter what they want. It was because President Xi holds the "golden share."

Shark Tank investor Kevin O'Leary said:

"Yes, I'd like to buy it. But only if Xi decides to sell it, and I don't know what he wants to do. And it doesn't matter what ByteDance, the company, wants. They have no say because the golden share is held by Xi. So that may become part of the negotiations."

He added:

"I don't know. And that's again what Trump and Xi have to talk about. But my guess at this point is TikTok is at the bottom of the list of things that Xi and Trump want to deal with first."

Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary shares his thoughts on purchasing TikTok, how TikTok was "turned off" from India in 2020, and more

When Shark Tank investor Kevin O'Leary faced the question regarding the possibility of cutting a deal and purchasing TikTok, he responded positively. He said that he was interested.

However, he expressed concerns about whether Chinese President Xi would "sell" the videos and the "accounts." He also talked about whether the President would sell the "brand."

One other possibility regarding TikTok, as Kevin O'Leary stated:

"Xi has to decide will he sell the videos? Will he sell the accounts? Will he sell the brand? What will he sell? Or maybe he just turns it off like he did in India. India back in 2020, they just turned it off. And for five days, people were squawking like chickens and then they forgot about it."

Kevin O'Leary mentioned that it could be the "outcome" of TikTok. However, there is uncertainty because the Chinese President has not yet decided what to do.

Regardless of the outcome, the Shark Tank judge said he wanted to buy TikTok if President Xi would sell it. He wasn't sure because he was not aware of what the President wanted. In addition, Kevin O'Leary mentioned the company, ByteDance, which owns TikTok.

He noted that, no matter what the company wanted to do, it wouldn't "matter." The reason was that President Xi has the "golden share."

"They have no say because the golden share is held by Xi. So that may become part of the negotiations," said Kevin O'Leary.

Regarding tariff negotiations, O'Leary Ventures chairman said there won't be a "third extension" of 75 days. He doesn't think that it would happen. There was a risk from "some ambitious attorney generals" and that they might "litigate."

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