Amazon Makes a Last-Minute Offer to Buy TikTok Amid the Threat of a Ban

Amazon has made an unexpected bid to acquire the troubled app, TikTok, as Donald Trump revealed “final proposals” on Wednesday to salvage the app in the US.

An unnamed Trump administration official told AP News that the tech giant made the offer in a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and JD Vance. This action coincides with the impending Saturday implementation of a TikTok ban in the United States.

On Inauguration Day, Trump gave TikTok a respite, eschewing a Supreme Court-supported statute that said a ban was required for national security. This law mandates that ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, either sell the app to an authorized buyer or remove it from the U.S. app stores. Trump anticipates a solution to be struck by Saturday, despite his hinting at the possibility of prolonging the ban pause.

As Trump was ready to meet with top officials to discuss the impending TikTok sale deadline, Amazon’s bid came to light. Concerns over TikTok exchanging user data with the Chinese government have been voiced by the Federal Communications Commission and the FBI, both of which the app disputes. The video-sharing website has declared that it would never comply if forced to divulge such data, despite these security concerns.

Trump was wary about TikTok during his first administration, even issuing executive orders to prohibit economic dealings with the founders of ByteDance and WeChat.

No agreement has been reached as of this writing.