Amazon, one of the biggest e-commerce and streaming service companies in the world, has placed a last-minute bid to buy the short-form video app TikTok, according to a New York Times report. Donald Trump will consider a final proposal related to TikTok ahead of its April 5 deadline to sell its US business to a non-Chinese buyer or face a nationwide ban, a White House official reported to Reuters on Tuesday. ByteDance, TikTok and Amazon all refrained from commenting on the development as of now.
Moreover, according to the New York Times, none of the parties interested in buying the short-video platform appear to be not taking this bid very seriously. The bid came via an offer letter addressed to the Vice President of the US, JD Vance and Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick.
The future of TikTok, which is used by almost half of the US population, has been up in the air ever since a 2024 law, passed with overwhelming support from both parties, required ByteDance to divest TikTok by January 19, which, after a request by ByteDance, was extended to April 5.
You Might Also Like: Elon Musk Sells X to His Own xAI for $33 Billion
According to Washington, TikTok’s ownership by ByteDance makes it a puppet for the Chinese government, and Beijing can use the platform to spread its own propaganda easily beyond its territories. Moreover, they can also collect data on American users.
Several parties have shown interest in buying the short-form video app, with Trump’s administration reporting that they are in talks with at least four parties interested in buying the app’s US Business.
