A smartphone in San Francisco displays the TikTok logo on Friday, January 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
Amazon has made a last-minute offer to acquire TikTok as a U.S. ban on the popular video-sharing app is set to take effect on Saturday. A Trump administration official, speaking anonymously, confirmed that Amazon submitted its bid in a letter to Vice President JD Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The New York Times first broke the news.
TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, faces a strict deadline to either sell its U.S. operations or shut down in compliance with a law upheld by the Supreme Court. While former President Donald Trump initially delayed enforcement of the ban, he has hinted that he expects a deal to be finalized before the deadline. However, he has also suggested he could extend the pause if necessary.
Amazon has yet to comment on its offer, and TikTok has not issued a response. Meanwhile, Trump met with top officials on Wednesday to discuss the platform’s future in the U.S. ByteDance has not confirmed whether it intends to sell, but several interested buyers have emerged in recent months.
Who Else Wants to Buy TikTok?
Tech giant Oracle, which already owns a 12.5% stake in TikTok Global, is a strong contender. In January, AI startup Perplexity AI proposed a merger, stating it could rebuild TikTok’s algorithm while preventing a monopoly in the short-form video space. The startup assured that any new TikTok system would be managed in U.S.-based data centers under American oversight.
Billionaire Frank McCourt has also entered the race, forming a consortium that recently brought in Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian as an adviser. His group has reportedly offered $20 billion in cash for TikTok’s U.S. operations. Meanwhile, Jesse Tinsley, founder of Employer.com, has presented a $30 billion bid, and small business owner Reid Rasner has made a staggering $47.5 billion offer.
National Security Concerns
U.S. officials, including the FBI and the Federal Communications Commission, have long raised concerns that ByteDance could share sensitive user data—such as browsing history and location—with the Chinese government. TikTok has repeatedly denied these allegations, asserting that it has never shared data and would refuse to do so if asked. So far, no evidence has been presented to confirm such data sharing.
TikTok’s Role in Politics
Despite past skepticism, Trump has acknowledged TikTok’s role in boosting his popularity among young voters. His previous administration attempted to restrict ByteDance’s influence by banning transactions with the company, along with the Chinese-owned messaging app WeChat.
As the Saturday deadline approaches, all eyes are on Amazon and other bidders to see whether a last-minute deal will secure TikTok’s future in the U.S.—or if millions of users will lose access to the app overnight.
