YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast, is not officially involved in bids to purchase TikTok’s United States operations.This clarification follows reports that suggested he was part of an investor group led by Jesse Tinsley, founder of Recruiter.com Ventures.Speculation arose after Donaldson posted on X on Jan. 13, joking about buying TikTok to prevent its ban.Subsequent reports hinted at his involvement in an all-cash acquisition effort, which was supported by a statement from a law firm connected to the group.However, Matthew Hiltzik, Donaldson’s representative, stated on Jan. 22 that he has no exclusive agreements with any buyers and is in discussions with multiple parties.The investor group’s details, including the bid amount, remain unclear, and Tinsley’s representative has not commented on the situation

GeekWire’s startup coverage documents the Pacific Northwest entrepreneurial scene. Sign up for our weekly startup newsletter , and check out the GeekWire funding tracker and venture capital directory .After a surprise shutdown that shocked customers, Vancouver, B.C.-based startup Bench Accounting will be acquired by Employer.com.The companies made the announcement Monday morning on their websites. “Your service will continue seamlessly with the platform you’ve always trusted,” reads a message on Bench’s homepage.TechCrunch reported that Bench customers will be able to “port their data or keep their service under new ownership.”Employer.com is based in San Francisco and offers workforce management software for payroll, compliance, and more.Jesse Tinsley, a Bay Area entrepreneur focused on HR tech, said he acquired the Employer.com domain last month. Tinsley also runs Recruiter.com, which is publicly traded, and BountyJobs.Employer.com put out a press release last month noting that Recruiter.com Ventures was consolidating its portfolio of brands under Employer.com. The company did not appear to offer accounting services prior to its planned acquisition of Bench.Bench announced Friday that it was abruptly closing.The company, which described itself in September as North America’s “largest bookkeeping service for small businesses,” raised more than $100 million since launching in 2012, including a $60 million round in 2021. It employed more than 650 people at the time.The shutdown sparked backlash from customers who were left scrambling just before the year wraps up.Raman Morris, an entrepreneur in Seattle who is launching a new preschool business, said she signed up for Bench two weeks ago and made advance payments that extend through 2025.“I don’t know how many customers they did this with and just ran off with their money,” she told GeekWire.Matt Palackdharry, founder of Kinetic Talents, said he also just signed up for Bench