Shocking company makes last-minute bid to buy TikTok | Official Website of Louis Velazquez, entrepreneur, finance guy and tech innovator

For days, millions of Americans have been waiting anxiously to learn the answer to a pressing question: What will happen to TikTok?

The fate of the popular Chinese social media platform has been hanging in the balance for weeks. Since the U.S. government ruled that it would either need to be sold or face a ban in the U.S. due to data privacy concerns, users have wondered who may buy it.

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Given the massive price tag that comes with the platform, estimated to be over $100 billion by Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives, purchasing it will require significant capital, the type that typically requires a group of investors.

However, some companies have expressed interest in buying TikTok as the April 5 deadline set by President Donald Trump approaches. This bidding war includes some surprising names, including one industry leader that wants to acquire the entire platform.

Users in the U.S. may no longer have access to TikTok unless the app is sold before April 5.

The bids to buy TikTok are piling up

Prior to President Donald Trump extending the deadline for a TikTok sale, speculation rose that Elon Musk might purchase the platform. The Tesla (TSLA) CEO himself did not issue any statements to support these rumors, nor did he submit any bids to purchase TikTok.

But plenty of other aspiring buyers have lined up to try and acquire TikTok and as of late yesterday, that list includes Amazon (AMZN) . The tech conglomerate entered the game late but according to the New York Times, it has submitted an offer in writing to Vice President JD Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick for approval.

Other investors have banded together in hopes of raising enough capital to make a reasonable offer for TikTok. Shark Tank judge and noted investor Kevin O’Leary and real estate mogul Frank McCourt submitted what they have dubbed “the People’s Bid for TikTok.”

YouTube personality James Donaldson, known on social media as Mr.Beast has submitted a bid with serial tech entrepreneur Jesse Tinsley. Another bidder is a startup founded by Tim Stokely, the British founder of adult-content platform OnlyFans.

Another tech company has attempted to capitalize on the potential TikTok ban. AI search engine startup Perplexity offered to merge with the platform in January, claiming that such a combination could “create the world’s greatest platform for creativity and knowledge discovery.”

The fact that a tech leader with much greater resources has submitted a bit is likely to spell the end of Perplexity’s quest to merge with TikTok, though.

“Amazon’s bid highlights the 11th-hour maneuvering in Washington over TikTok’s ownership,” the New York Times reports. “Policymakers in both parties have expressed deep national security concerns over the app’s Chinese ownership, and passed a law last year to force a sale of TikTok that was set to take effect in January.”

The approval of any offer would involve negotiations between multiple Trump administration appointees and TikTok’s parent company ByteDance. However, the Times also notes that the parties charged with spearheading these talks are not taking Amazon’s offer seriously, though the reasons why have not been revealed.

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Even so, Amazon is currently the highest profile bidder to submit a bid to acquire TikTok. And given its status as an industry leader, it will likely be hard to disregard its offer, especially since other parties probably won’t be able to match it.

Amazon has a complicated history with TikTok

It’s true that over the years, Amazon has purchased many companies, including Whole Foods Market, Audible, and video game streaming platform Twitch Interactive. Its reach across multiple high-growth industries is almost unmatched.

Amazon likely isn’t used to having its offers not be taken seriously, given its vast financial resources. However, the fact that negotiations are reportedly doing exactly that suggests that this deal may be difficult to close.

The company’s incentive to ensure that TikTok isn’t banned in the U.S. is high. Many of the content creators who post videos to the platform frequently promote products and encourage viewers to purchase them on Amazon, a trend that has benefitted Amazon significantly. Per CNBC:

“TikTok’s lucrative marketplace, coupled with the app’s more than 170 million users, could be an attractive asset for Amazon. Following TikTok’s success, Amazon launched and then shuttered a short-form video service of its own.”

While Amazon’s venture into the video-sharing space may not have gone well, the company understands how important TikTok is for its growth in the current digital age. It is likely prepared to offer an extremely high amount to purchase the platform and can offer significantly more money than the other interested groups.