Unsplash: Solen FeyissaAmazon is attempting to buy TikTok from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, just three days before the app is set to be banned in the United States.
The TikTok divest-or-ban bill that President Biden signed back in 2024 officially took effect on January 19, 2025, causing the short-form video platform to go dark for just over 12 hours.
President Trump took office just a day later and signed an executive order extending enforcement of the ban for 270 days, making the new divest-or-ban deadline April 5, 2025.
Trump has mentioned multiple times since taking office that he will make sure a sale goes through before the new deadline so the app doesn’t get banned.
On Wednesday, April 2, Amazon has put in a last-minute offer to buy the app.
Amazon puts last-minute offer to buy TikTok
According to the New York Times, Amazon’s offer was sent via an offer letter to Vice President JD Vance and US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick.
However, it also says that various parties involved in the talks do not appear to be taking Amazon’s bid seriously.
President Trump is set to meet with officials on April 2 to discuss the fate of TikTok and whether they can get the China-based company to agree to a sale before the deadline. ByteDance has previously maintained that it is not for sale, partly because they believe the Chinese government would block a deal.
Unsplash: Olivier BergeronAmazon isn’t the only company that could have their hands in TikTok if the President secures a sale. Trump has mentioned tech-company Oracle potentially becoming an investor in the app previously, as well as various investment firms.
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Oracle currently controls the servers where TikTok’s US data is held, thanks to an agreement with the company. TikTok’s US Data Services team launched Project Texas back in 2022, aiming to address user data security issues brought up by Trump during his first term as President.
