Amazon has made a last-minute bid to acquire TikTok, a Trump administration official said on Wednesday, as a U.S. ban on the popular social media platform is set to take effect on Saturday.
The move comes as the Biden administration has upheld a law requiring ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese-owned parent company, to either divest from the app’s U.S. operations or face a nationwide ban.
According to reports which were first published by New York Times, an official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, said that Amazon’s offer was submitted in a letter to Vice President J.D. Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
The law, citing national security concerns, was upheld unanimously by the Supreme Court. President Donald J. Trump, who granted TikTok a reprieve on Inauguration Day, has indicated that he could further delay enforcement of the ban, though he has also expressed an expectation that a deal will be finalized by the deadline.
The revelation of Amazon’s bid coincided with a scheduled meeting between Trump and senior officials on Wednesday to discuss the looming deadline for TikTok’s sale. While it remains unclear whether ByteDance is willing to sell, several potential buyers have emerged in recent months.
What to know
Oracle, the software giant, has been among the interested parties, having previously secured a 12.5% stake in TikTok Global in 2020 as part of an agreement to provide cloud infrastructure for the app. Blackstone, the investment firm, has also reportedly explored an acquisition.
- In January, the artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI proposed a merger with TikTok’s U.S. operations, aiming to integrate its AI technology with the video-sharing platform. Last month, Perplexity AI detailed its vision in a blog post, asserting that it was uniquely positioned to “rebuild the TikTok algorithm without creating a monopoly.” The company pledged to develop the platform’s infrastructure within the United States, under American regulatory oversight.
- Other potential suitors include a consortium led by billionaire businessman Frank McCourt, which recently enlisted Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian as a strategic adviser. Investors in that group have reportedly offered ByteDance $20 billion in cash for TikTok’s U.S. operations.
- Additionally, Jesse Tinsley, the founder of Employer.com, has assembled his own consortium, offering ByteDance over $30 billion. Wyoming small-business owner Reid Rasner has also announced an offer of approximately $47.5 billion.
National security concerns remain central to the debate over TikTok’s ownership. U.S. officials, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Communications Commission, have warned that ByteDance could be compelled to share user data—including browsing history, location, and biometric information—with the Chinese government. TikTok has denied such allegations and stated that it would not comply with such requests. The U.S. government has not publicly provided evidence that such data sharing has occurred.
Trump, who has millions of followers on TikTok, has acknowledged the platform’s influence, particularly among younger voters.
