- Title: FILE: Amazon bids to buy TikTok as deadline looms, says White House
- Date: 2nd April 2025
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- Keywords: Amazon ByteDance Congress TikTok Trump
- Location: VARIOUS
- City: VARIOUS
- Country: US
- Topics: Company News Markets,Economic Events,North America
- Reuters ID: LVA004369602042025RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: As the weekend deadline for TikTok to find a buyer approaches, Amazon is throwing its hat into the ring for the video social media site. TikTok faces an April 5 deadline to reach a deal to find a non-Chinese buyer under threat of being banned from the United States.
U.S. officials have raised security concerns over the app's ties to China, which TikTok and owner ByteDance have denied. Trump administration officials are meeting on Wednesday to discuss the various options for TikTok.
A U.S. administration official on Wednesday (April 2) confirmed Amazon had sent a letter to Vice President JD Vance and Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Amazon declined to comment, while TikTok and ByteDance did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Amazon has long harbored ambitions for an in-house social media network that could help it sell more goods and appeal to a younger audience. It bought live video site Twitch in 2014 for nearly $1 billion and book review site Goodreads in 2013 as part of its efforts to build a viable social network.
Amazon also developed and tested a TikTok-like short-form video and photo feed called Inspire that it shuttered earlier this year.
Trump said last month his administration was in touch with four different groups about the sale of the platform, without identifying them.
Private equity firm Blackstone, opens new tab is discussing joining ByteDance's non-Chinese shareholders, led by Susquehanna International Group and General Atlantic, in contributing fresh capital to bid for TikTok's U.S. business, Reuters reported last week.
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