Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian will join Project Liberty’s bid to acquire social media platform TikTok. Project Liberty’s founder Frank McCourt announced the news on Monday, saying Ohanian will take on the role of a Strategic Advisor.
TikTok previously became the subject of a law that required its China-based parent company ByteDance to sell the social media platform in the U.S. or be shut down. It was temporarily banned in mid-January before being given an additional 75 days to find a buyer.
Several investors showed interest in buying TikTok’s U.S. assets in recent months, with Project Liberty emerging as one of the most prominent suitors. The non-profit was founded in 2021 with the intention to “construct a new internet infrastructure” and develop “technology that serves the common good.”
McCourt previously stated that his primary goal with TikTok’s bid is to protect the personal data of the platform’s users in the United States. If he manages to acquire TikTok, he intends to employ a technology that would allow users to decide by themselves how their data will be used and shared.
With Ohanian on board, Project Liberty’s bid gains further legitimacy and opens up new ways for funding.
“His unique vision and deep personal commitment to user empowerment through social media platforms align perfectly with our transformative approach. His endorsement of Frequency underscores its potential to redefine the internet. We are excited to have him on board as we work to usher in a new and better chapter for TikTok, and turn the momentum created from The People’s Bid into building The People’s Internet,” McCourt said in a statement.