Amazon has submitted a proposal to acquire TikTok, just days before the social network’s impending 5 April deadline. The company is the latest in a long line of high-profile bidders, which includes YouTube personality MrBeast, billionaire Frank McCourt, and Perplexity AI.
According to an unnamed source, the proposal was made in a letter to Vice President JD Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. However, the bid is reportedly not being taken seriously by the parties involved as it was made very close to the deadline.
CNBC states that TikTok’s online marketplace and massive user base could be an attractive asset for Amazon. In August, Amazon partnered with TikTok to enable TikTok users to link their accounts with Amazon to make purchases while remaining in the app. Chinese lawmakers voiced concerns over this agreement due to its potential security risks. Amazon has also attempted to create its own short-form video service similar to TikTok, but recently discontinued it.
TikTok’s fate in the US is uncertain and has been for a while now. US lawmakers were concerned that the Chinese government could use the app to gather sensitive information on US citizens. In January, the app was shut down in the country after it failed to find a buyer, only to be restored not even a day later. President Trump signed an executive order to extend the deadline for the sale. As the new deadline approaches, TikTok could be banned again if there is still no buyer for the app’s US operations.
However, Trump has stated his willingness to extend the deadline if needed. It is also unclear whether TikTok’s parent company ByteDance or the Chinese government has been involved in the discussions.
(Source: CNBC, The Malaysian Reserve)
