Zoop and Hedera Hashgraph (HBAR) have officially made a bid for ByteDance’s TikTok app before it becomes blocked in the US (again).

Zoop, led by RJ Phillips and Tim Stokely who also founded Onlyfans, submitted a late-stage offer to acquire TikTok and allow it to operate in the US.

Zoop has partnered with Hedera Hashgraph in the past in various web3 commitments going as far as 2022. The new bid could make Zoop x HBAR owners of TikTok in the US.

Zoop x HBAR submit late bid for TikTok US acquisition

 Hedera and Zooop submitted a late-stage bid for an undisclosed amount last Wednesday in a last-ditch effort to acquire ByteDance’s TikTok app, used by millions of Americans. 

Since the Biden administration, Tiktok has tread a thin line in the US with United States security saying TikTok could be used by China to spy and commit to political manipulation in the US.

President Trump’s administration offered TikTok a deal whereby a US company would acquire them, allowing TikTok to then resume normal operations in the US. 

TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew, who was a former intern at Facebook, thanked Donald Trump in January 2025 for halting the TikTok ban in the US, allowing them more time to make a decision on how to move forward.

With deadlines closing in, companies, including Zoop x HBAR, have submitted final bids, hoping to have a stake in ByteDance and allow TikTok to operate in the US without issues. 

Could Zoop and Hedera win the acquisition bidding competition for TikTok?

If Zoop and Hedera were to acquire TikTok, Zoop co-founder RJ Phillips said they would change the way creators and communities benefit from the app.

Zoop, working with AI startup Humans.ai, aims to connect fans and creators worldwide as a “social mega” app, creating a social ecosystem whereby engagement yields rewards. 

Tim Stokely’s track record with services and apps rewarding users for content may spill over into TikTok if their acquisition is successful, with Zoop and Onlyfans sharing a majority of revenue with creators on the platform. 

Reports from Reuters suggest other investors were also a part of the submission, but information about those investors has not been disclosed to the public. 

With TikTok’s dealing of April 5 now gone, Reuters reported that China has blocked the deal, putting it on hold due to Trump’s reciprocal tariffs against China.

Whether Hedera and Zoop could pull the deal off is now left in limbo along with TikTok’s future in the United States.