In the latest development surrounding the acquisition of TikTok, OnlyFans founder Tim Stokely has partnered with the HBAR Foundation in a late-in-the-game proposal to acquire the platform.
The move brings a new angle to the increasingly heated debate over TikTok’s future ownership, particularly as the U.S. government pushes ByteDance to sell its American business.
The partnership anticipates TikTok to be a decentralized, creator-first platform that runs on blockchain technology. The White House is currently reviewing the bid, which is due April 5.
Reimagining TikTok’s Future
Stokely’s latest project, Zoop, aims to be a pop-culture, family-first content platform that seeks the likeness of the content creator by figuring out a way to engage with topping Web3 principles of digital ownership and revenue sharing.
The partnership, which partners with the HBAR Foundation that manages the cryptocurrency treasury of the Hedera network, hopes to transform TikTok into one of the more decentralized and creator-centric platforms. RJ Phillips, a Zoop co-founder, added that,
“Our bid for TikTok goes beyond ownership transfer; it represents an opportunity for a new paradigm where both creators and their communities share the value they create directly.”
Bids and Government in the Space to Compete
Zoop and the HBAR Foundation’s proposal comes at a sensitive moment: ByteDance, the Chinese parent of TikTok, must either divest its U.S. business or face a nationwide ban under bipartisan legislation aimed at reducing foreign influence — and it would have until April 5 to do so. The White House, with Vice President JD Vance at the helm, is currently evaluating various proposals, effectively running an auction with enormous geopolitical and cultural ramifications.

Notably, this crypto-crazed bid is just one of several last-minute offers, including one from Amazon. In addition, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian is backing a competing bid, which proposes a decentralized governance model giving users more agency over their data and the platform’s algorithm.
A Much-Hyped Twitter Deal Ain’t All Minted: The Collision of Crypto and Social Media
This bidding interest by the HBAR Foundation reflects a wider trend in the crypto sector, with aspirations to infuse Web3 concepts into existing Web2 infrastructure, such as digital ownership, tokenized rewards, and decentralized governance. This strategy is part of a wider ambition to recast some of the biggest social media companies in a way that enables both creators and users.
HBAR Market Performance Today
23.02.2032 09:00 Hedera (HBAR) price is currently $0.162018 with a free-fall movement of -0.01908% in 24 hours. Today’s high: $0.178394 | Today’s low: $0.158111
HBAR Price Predictions
These are the price expectations of the experts for HBAR:
Year | Minimum Price | Average Price | Maximum Price |
2025 | $0.15 | $0.20 | $0.25 |
2026 | $0.22 | $0.28 | $0.35 |
2027 | $0.30 | $0.38 | $0.45 |
Note: These projections are speculative and subject to market conditions.
Repercussions across Cryptosphere and Socmed
The proposed purchase of TikTok by such a joint entity, including a cryptocurrency foundation, has the potential to establish a new model for partnerships between the cryptocurrency and the mainstream social media sector. This merging of blockchain technology into a platform with a similar reach to TikTok has the potential to disrupt content monetization and user interaction models, giving us a glimpse into the potential of future merging between these industries.

Conclusion
With an April 5 deadline looming, it is still unclear what will happen with TikTok’s ownership. This proposition from Zoop and the HBAR Foundation brings a fresh angle to the negotiation, highlighting the potential for decentralized technologies to transform the social media environment. As the stakes continue to climb, onlookers and stakeholders alike are locked in a wait-and-see approach, as they’d rather settle for the winner of this high-stakes bidding frenzy than be the one left holding the bag.
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FAQS
1. What was the OnlyFans founder doing bidding for TikTok?
Backed by the HBAR Foundation, Tim Stokely wants to take TikTok and make it a decentralized, creator-first place with Web3 tools.
2. What is the HBAR Foundation’s involvement in the bid?
With crypto infrastructure, treasury support, and insight into integrating blockchain with TikTok’s content and reward systems, the HBAR Foundation has a bold vision.
3. What would this crypto-backed model change over TikTok?
Web3 solutions for TikTok include creator rewards, tokenized engagement, and decentralized ownership of user data.
4. Are there any concerns regarding this acquisition plan?
If TikTok adopts crypto and decentralized models without appropriate regulatory oversight, critics say, concerns related to governance, privacy, and user adaptation could arise.
Glossary of Key Terms
1. Hedera Network
An open public ledger that can provide fast, secure, and green blockchain applications. It powers the planned transformation of TikTok through the integration of crypto and smart contracts.
2. Web3 Integration
The migration of Web 2.0 to Web 3.0 is the effort to shift mainstream online apps into decentralized environments such that users own their data, identity, and monetization through blockchain applications.
3. Decentralized Social Media
Platforms with decentralized ownership where blockchain also empowers users and creators to take control of content, chat, moderation, data, and revenue.
4. Content Creator Economy
A how and why for the day where digital creators earn directly via engagement, tipping, tokens and royalties—reset fundamental to the OnlyFans–Hedera-backed TikTok proposal
5. Platform Divestiture
A forced sale or spin-off of a digital platform’s regional assets over regulatory concerns — in this case, the U.S. government’s order for ByteDance to divest TikTok’s American business.
6. Digital Ownership
A concept in Web3 where a person can own decentralized and verifiable rights over media like content, profiles, or rewards through identity and smart contracts on a blockchain.
7. Governance Model
A meta-rule for how decisions are made within a platform—a decision rule that is centralized (by company) or decentralized (by token holders and smart contracts).
8. Strategic Partnership
A group of organizations—namely, OnlyFans’ founder and the Hedera team—coalesce to pool resources and propose new business directions or acquisitions.