Amazon has reportedly joined the growing list of suitors angling to acquire TikTok as a new ban deadline approaches. According to The New York Times, the retailer has made a “last-minute bid” to buy the app, and has approached Vice President JD Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick about the offer.
It’s not clear why Amazon is making an offer this late in the process. TikTok is currently facing an April 5 deadline to strike a deal, though President Donald Trump has said he would likely extend it if necessary. The Times reports that White House officials don’t seem to be “seriously” considering the longshot bid. Amazon declined to comment.
Amazon joins several other companies and investors that have proposed bids. The group includes YouTuber MrBeast (with backing from a group that includes Roblox CEO David Baszucki), Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian (who joined a group of investors known as “Project Liberty”) and Perplexity AI, which has proposed integrating the shortform video into its search engine.
Even with the deadline just days away, we still don’t know exactly when a decision will be made about TikTok’s future. Trump has said he wants to announce a deal before the Saturday deadline.
ENGADGET
