It’s turned out to be quite the bit of business for him.
For someone who barely says a word, Khaby Lame has done incredibly well.
He’s one of the biggest TikTok stars on the planet, earning huge sums for videos where he simply, and silently, reacts to other people’s content.
Clearly there’s a massive audience for his trademark deadpan style, and now it looks like another lucrative move has landed in his favour.
A company called Rich Sparkle Holdings has announced it has acquired a business named Step Distinctive Limited for $975 million – a company linked to the world’s most-followed TikToker.
In short, Khaby Lame is no longer just the quiet guy mugging to camera on TikTok – investors are treating him as a long-term global brand, with the potential to pull in up to $4 billion a year.
The hope, for those who just signed off on a $975 million deal, is that there’ll be enough Khaby Lame content to turn his profile into a multi‑billion‑dollar annual machine.
Lame is also reportedly set to become a “controlling shareholder,” meaning the arrangement could be hugely lucrative for him personally, with serious money now tied to his image and name.
A key part of the deal involves “AI Digital Twin Integration,” with Lame said to have authorised the use of his Face ID, Voice ID and behavioural models to create an AI version of himself.
This is pitched as enabling “multilingual, multi‑version content production” and “cross‑time‑zone, long‑duration virtual livestream commerce.”
In other words, an AI Khaby Lame could soon be pumping out content around the clock, designed to squeeze even more value from one of the internet’s biggest cash cows.
Those behind the $975 million deal are clearly betting that there’ll be enough Khaby Lame content to turn his profile into a multi-billion‑dollar‑a‑year operation.
Lame is also reportedly set to become a “controlling shareholder,” which suggests the arrangement could be extremely lucrative for him personally, with huge sums now tied directly to his image and brand.
A major element of the agreement is something dubbed “AI Digital Twin Integration,” with Lame said to have authorised the use of his Face ID, Voice ID and behavioural data to build an AI version of himself.
This is touted as enabling “multilingual, multi‑version content production” and “cross‑time‑zone, long‑duration virtual livestream commerce.”
In essence, it looks like an AI Khaby Lame will be deployed to generate even more revenue from one of the internet’s most profitable stars.
A $975 million deal involving the company he’s associated with includes making an ‘AI Digital Twin’ of Lame (Bruno de Carvalho/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Khaby Lame has previously explained the reason behind his signature silence in videos – and it’s all about embodying the classic internet reaction, ‘smh’ (‘shaking my head’).
The Senegalese-Italian creator, who lost his factory job during lockdown before going viral with his deadpan reaction clips and dances, told CNN in 2022 why he chose not to speak on camera.
“I came up with the idea because I was seeing these videos circulating, and I liked the idea of bringing some simplicity to it,” he said.
“The type of gesture came by chance, but the silence didn’t. I thought of a way to reach as many people as possible. And the best way was not to speak.
“Maybe because my facial expressions are funny and they make people laugh, this simplicity makes people laugh and I love it.”
Because he’s not known for using his voice, some fans have been surprised when they finally hear what he actually sounds like.
Featured Image Credit: TikTok/KhabyLame
Topics: Khaby Lame, TikTok, Social Media, AI, Business, Money
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