TikTok Star Khaby Lame Sells Company and Authorizes Development of His 'AI Twin' in $975M Deal
- - TikTok Star Khaby Lame Sells Company and Authorizes Development of His 'AI Twin' in $975M Deal
Tabitha ParentJanuary 28, 2026 at 2:42 AM
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Khaby Lame.
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Khaby Lame has sold his company in a deal valued at $975 million
Lame, who is the most followed TikToker on the app, sold Step Distinctive Limited, which manages his global brand and commercial activities to Hong King-based public holding company Rich Sparkle
As part of the deal, Lame also authorized his the use of his "Face ID, Voice ID and behavioral models" for the development of an AI Digital Twin of himself
Khaby Lame has sold his company, Step Distinctive Limited, in a whopping $975 million deal, per a public SEC filing.Lame, who is the most followed person on TikTok as of 2026, sold the company that manages his global brand and commercial activities to a Hong Kong-based, publicly traded holding company, Rich Sparkle.
As part of the deal, Lame has also authorized the use of his "Face ID, Voice ID, and behavioral models for AI Digital Twin development” for the creation of multilingual, cross-time-zone livestream e-commerce content.Per a press release from Rich Sparkle, the deal could also generate more than $4 billion in annual sales. The deal will be conducted “by way of issuance of 75,000,000 Ordinary Shares" of Rich Sparkle.
Khaby Lame.
Arturo Holmes/Getty
The Italian influencer will continue to be at the helm of Step Distinctive, as the deal's specifications afforded him a controlling share in the company. Previously, Lame held a 49% stake in Step Distinctive.
Back in 2022, Lame overtook Charli D'Amelio as the most-followed person on TikTok by clocking a record-breaking 142.8 million followers, according to Guinness World Records. Since then, he has amassed 17.8 million more followers on the platform.In 2024, Lame was named one of PEOPLE's Creators of the Year, and he opened up about his meteoric rise to fame on social media.
Khaby Lame.
Regis Hirwa/NBAE via Getty
"Before TikTok, I was working in a factory. I had a lot of different jobs,” he told PEOPLE last year. "I was helping support my family — three little brothers, one older brother and my parents. Then my world changed completely. It’s a whole different life now."
"When I discovered TikTok during COVID, I was making videos for fun. It was a way for all of us to step outside of all the things that were going on in the world," he shared. "I was just there trying to make people laugh. It wasn’t something that I expected to be my form of work in the future."
The content creator also revealed his first big purchase since his success.
"The first thing I did with the money I’ve made is buy a bigger house for my family," he revealed. "We’re a family of seven. It's a big family."
Lame added, "I don’t like to spend a lot of money, but for this, my family has always done so much for me."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
