AMAZON SUBMITS OFFER TO ACQUIRE TIKTOK’S U.S. OPERATIONS

Wed 02 April 2025:

Amazon made a last-minute bid to acquire TikTok in the US as the Chinese-owned social media platform faces an April deadline to divest or face a ban, according to a report.

The New York Times, citing anonymous sources, said multiple parties involved in the discussions are not taking Amazon’s bid seriously. The offer was made via a letter to US Vice President JD Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, a person briefed on the matter said.

Other potential investors include Oracle and Blackstone, according to the report.

Amazon and TikTok have not commented on the report.

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Amazon previously launched a TikTok-like feature, Inspire, but later removed it from the app store.

TikTok insists it is not for sale, citing possible Chinese government opposition. The company has 170 million US users and remains a major player in digital commerce.

The Amazon move comes amid negotiations in Washington on TikTok’s ownership. US lawmakers have raised national security concerns about the app’s ties to China, leading to a law that was passed last year mandating its sale. The Supreme Court unanimously upheld the legislation, though Trump delayed its enforcement until Saturday.

TikTok is a wildly popular short-form video app launched in 2016 by the Chinese company ByteDance, evolving from Musical.ly after a 2018 merger.

It lets users create, share, and watch 15-second to 3-minute clips, often featuring dances, lip-syncs, comedy skits, or trends fueled by catchy music and viral challenges. Its algorithm is the secret sauce—hyper-personalized, it learns your preferences fast, keeping you hooked with an endless “For You” page scroll. By 2025, it boasts over 1.5 billion monthly active users globally, dominating Gen Z and beyond.

It’s a cultural juggernaut, birthing stars like Charli D’Amelio and trends that spill into real-world hype. But it’s not all fun—concerns swirl around data privacy due to its Chinese roots, with fears of Beijing accessing user info prompting U.S. bans and restrictions. Creators can monetize through ads, brand deals, or a tipping system, while ByteDance rakes in billions. Love it or hate it,

TikTok’s reshaped entertainment in under a decade.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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