Former Wynn Resorts Ltd. CEO Steve Wynn has been approached to finance a mobile technology company’s bid to acquire TikTok, according to a published report.
Palo Alto, California-based AppLovin is among several companies and investors making offers to buy the popular social media platform that faces a Saturday deadline to sell or shut down.
Wynn, a resident of Florida, could not be reached Wednesday on the Wall Street Journal report about AppLovin seeking him as a financial backer. The Journal cited unidentified people familiar with the matter as sources.
President Donald Trump was expected to be briefed Wednesday on possible suitors for TikTok, a platform that specializes in brief video clips.
Cloud computing company Oracle, based in Austin, Texas, has submitted a bid for TikTok, as has multinational tech company Amazon.
Vice President JD Vance, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard were scheduled to meet with Trump to discuss the sale of TikTok by its Chinese owner, ByteDance.
The Journal reported authorities in Beijing have signaled that China would be open to a deal, but see it as part of a cluster of issues it hopes to negotiate with Washington, including tariffs, according to people familiar with the government’s thinking. Chinese officials were awaiting Trump’s tariff plan to be unveiled on Wednesday.
Wynn left Wynn Resorts in 2018 following publication of reports he sexually assaulted resort employees. He has denied ever assaulting anyone.
He has said he no longer wants to be in the public eye, but earlier this year appealed a Nevada Supreme Court ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, which last month rejected hearing arguments to overturn New York Times v. Sullivan, a landmark 1964 ruling that established the benchmark for defamation cases in the country. Wynn is in a legal battle with The Associated Press over libel allegations.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.
