Amazon Reportedly Makes Last-Minute Bid For TikTok As Deadline Looms

In 2022, Amazon launched Inspire, an e-commerce short-form video platform, to compete with the rapidly growing TikTok app. However, Inspire dramatically underperformed and Amazon shut down the app earlier this year.

Three years later, Amazon is trying to acquire TikTok. 

The New York Times reported on Wednesday that the e-retail giant made a last-minute bid for TikTok. The company has an April deadline to separate from its Chinese owner or face a ban in the United States.

"Amazon’s bid highlights the 11th-hour maneuvering in Washington over TikTok’s ownership. Policymakers in both parties have expressed deep national security concerns over the app’s Chinese ownership, and passed a law last year to force a sale of TikTok that was set to take effect in January," the Times reports.

Amazon submitted the offer to Vice President JD Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The report did not reveal the financial offer proposed but notes that "various parties who have been involved in the talks do not appear to be taking Amazon’s bid seriously."

The bid comes on the same day President Trump is set to meet with top advisers in the Oval Office to hear details on a proposal for TikTok’s existing U.S. investors.

The Times, citing people familiar with the talks, said a potential deal could involve a number of new U.S. investors, including tech giant Oracle and PE-firm Blackstone. The paper said it's unclear if such a deal would satisfy federal law. 

The report also notes that Amazon has existing ties to TikTok, as the app has become a hub for retail shopping via influencer recommendations. 
 

HONG KONG, CHINA - JANUARY 18: In this photo illustration, the TikTok logos are seen on screens on January 18, 2025 in Hong Kong, China. As the impending TikTok ban looms, users are increasingly migrating to alternative platforms like Xiaohongshu, driven by concerns over data privacy and the potential shutdown of their favorite app. This shift reflects a broader trend where users seek platforms that offer similar engagement without the uncertainty surrounding TikTok's future in the U.S., especially as legal battles and political pressures mount ahead of the January 19 deadline for compliance or a ban. (Photo by Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)

TikTok, which has about 170 million users in the U.S., is currently owned by the Beijing-based ByteDance and has developed what is known in the tech industry as the most sophisticated algorithm to date.

ByteDance has also been less than transparent about storing user data in the U.S. In 2022, BuzzFeed News reviewed over 80 internal TikTok meetings to establish that China could access U.S. user data via the app. According to the finding, "Everything is seen in China," a member of the TikTok Trust and Safety department said.

TikTok had previously said that only U.S. employees had access to user data. However, BuzzFeed review found that U.S-based TikTok staffers do not know how to, and do not have permission, to access personal data. The meetings confirmed that engineers in the U.S. have had to rely on the staff in China to provide them with user information.

The app has more than 170 million American users and has emerged as a go-to news source for younger Americans, as alarming as that is. So while privacy concerns with Amazon exist, it sure beats the CCP spying on Americans through a social media app.

Still, TikTok has maintained that it is not for sale, adding that the Chinese government would block a deal.