Amazon is putting in a last-minute offer for TikTok ahead of the deadline on April 5 — but TikTok has maintained it isn’t for sale.
The clock is counting down for TikTok’s continued operation in the United States, with the deadline to divest or face a federal ban fast approaching this Saturday. But Amazon has put in a last-minute offer to acquire “all of TikTok,” according to people close to the matter. Still, several parties involved are not taking Amazon’s bid seriously, according to The New York Times.
Amazon’s offer further highlights the last-minute efforts to keep TikTok operational in the US. That’s despite the platform’s China-based parent, ByteDance, and the Chinese government’s insistence that the short-form video platform is not for sale.
Meanwhile, President Trump has repeatedly vowed to “save TikTok,” despite the national security concerns. To that end, he passed an executive order on his first day back in office to extend TikTok’s deadline until April. He says he has discussed offers with numerous interested parties and is now slated to meet with top White House officials today (April 2) to further discuss TikTok’s fate.
According to those close to the talks, the primary deal on offer involves bringing in a slate of new US investors, such as tech giant Oracle and private equity firm Blackstone, effectively sidestepping a proper sale. However, it’s unclear if such an arrangement will satisfy the conditions of the federal law.
Despite the NYT report that those involved in the talks are not particularly interested in Amazon’s offer, Amazon does have existing ties to TikTok. Even though TikTok offers its own retail hub, many content creators on the platform encourage their fans to buy products on Amazon, so they can make use of Amazon’s referral links that give influencers a cut of the transactions. Amazon’s own (futile) attempt at a TikTok competitor, called Inspire, was shut down earlier this year.
Whether Amazon will be considered a serious contender, or if TikTok’s Chinese ownership will approve a sale in the first place, remains to be seen.