Amazon has made a last-minute bid to acquire TikTok as the popular video-sharing app faces a US ban unless ByteDance, its Chinese parent company, divests ownership. The bid was revealed in a letter to officials involved in the negotiations, but reports suggest it is not being taken seriously. Other interested buyers include Oracle, Blackstone, AI startup Perplexity, and a group led by internet personality MrBeast.
President Donald Trump, who previously supported banning TikTok, has softened his stance, seeing the platform as a key factor in his growing support among young voters. He has hinted at offering China tariff reductions in exchange for Beijing’s approval of a sale. While TikTok’s US operations already rely on Oracle servers, the law requiring ByteDance to divest—driven by concerns over Chinese government influence—took effect on January 19. Trump had previously delayed enforcement, but the new deadline for action is April 5.
