Amazon jumped into the TikTok sweepstakes with a surprise last-minute play to buy the video-sharing app ahead of Saturday’s deadline for Chinese parent ByteDance to sell it or face a US ban, the White House said on Wednesday.
The e-retail giant, founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, reportedly submitted an offer letter detailing its proposal that was addressed to Vice President JD Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
However, key parties involved in negotiations on a potential TikTok sale “do not appear to be taking Amazon’s bid seriously,” according to The New York Times, which first reported the story.
Other details, such as the dollar value of Amazon’s proposal, were not revealed.
The White House confirmed receiving the offer.
Amazon declined to comment. Representatives for TikTok did not immediately return The Post’s request for comment.
Shares of Amazon rose 1.3% in a volume spike after the report.
The shocking bid comes on the same day President Trump is set to meet with top advisers in the Oval Office to hear details on a proposal for TikTok’s existing US investors to take majority control of a spun-off version of the company.
Vance and Lutnick are reportedly set to attend the meeting alongside national security adviser Mike Waltz and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Bezos has cultivated closer ties to Trump since his election win, even attending the president’s inauguration alongside other tech moguls.
Trump has until Saturday to find an acceptable buyer for TikTok after issuing an executive order delaying enforcement of a federal law that banned the app unless ByteDance divested. The president could opt to extend the deadline again if terms aren’t finalized.
Congress and the feds say TikTok is a national security threat until China is no longer involved in its operations. The app has more than 170 million American users.
As The Post has reported, existing US investors in TikTok parent ByteDance — Susquehanna, KKR, General Atlantic and Coatue — are seeking to acquire larger stakes as part of the proposed handover.
Oracle, which already serves as TikTok’s key cloud computing partner, could take on an increased role to ensure its algorithm is safe from manipulation and manage US user data.
New investors, such as tech venture firm Andreessen Horowitz and Blackstone Group, have also been approached to contribute to the deal and could help buy out Chinese investors, the FT reported on Tuesday.
A sale of TikTok is expected to fetch at least $40 billion.
To complete a deal, Trump would need to reassure TikTok’s critics in Congress, such as the Senate Intel Committee’s Republican chair Tom Cotton, that it successfully addresses national security concerns.
As written, Congress’ law requires total divestment of Chinese control over TikTok. It remains unclear if the proposed deal will meet that threshold, though Trump does have some leeway in making that determination.
Trump would also need approval from the Chinese government, which initially vowed to fight any forced sale but has recently softened its stances.
The president has floated the possibility of giving China some breaks on tariffs in exchange for a TikTok deal.
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