Amazon Joins Final Bids for TikTok Acquisition as Sale Deadline Nears

The world's largest e-commerce company, Amazon, has submitted a proposal to acquire the U.S. business rights of the Chinese short-form video platform TikTok, according to reports by The New York Times (NYT) and Bloomberg News on the 2nd (local time).

Sources said Amazon sent a letter-form proposal to Vice President J.D. Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who are overseeing the sale of TikTok's U.S. business, ahead of TikTok's sale deadline scheduled for this weekend. However, they added that the Trump administration does not seem to take Amazon's bid seriously.

Reuters Yonhap News

However, the NYT stated that Amazon appears to be the most attractive bidder for TikTok.

Bloomberg analyzed that even if Amazon's bid is not supported within the White House, simply expressing interest could yield strategic benefits. Other potential buyers might offer higher prices, causing competitors to spend more money, and during negotiations, Amazon could obtain specific information such as the financial performance of TikTok Shop, which competes with Amazon's online retail business.

As the sale deadline approaches, interest in TikTok is increasing. Zoop, a new startup by the founder of the adult platform OnlyFans, submitted a bid after partnering with the cryptocurrency-related organization HBAR Foundation, and mobile marketing company AppLovin also entered the bidding.

Previously, a consortium including Oracle, former LA Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, and Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit; a consortium of tech companies with Jesse Tinsley and popular YouTuber MrBeast; and AI search startup Perplexity have reportedly joined the acquisition race.

TikTok is popular in the U.S., but national security concerns have led the previous Joe Biden administration to create the so-called 'TikTok Ban Act.' Accordingly, TikTok's parent company ByteDance was required to sell TikTok's U.S. business by January 19. However, President Trump signed an executive order delaying the enforcement of the law for 75 days shortly after taking office, preventing an unprecedented service shutdown for TikTok. The delay expires on April 5, but President Trump has indicated a willingness to extend the deadline if necessary.