Amazon Joins List Of TikTok Suitors As App Deadline Looms

deadline.com:

Amazon is among the suitors for TikTok as the digital platform nears a closely watched deadline to restructure its operations, a source with knowledge of internal discussions has confirmed to Deadline. “There is in interest from Amazon, but there is interest from others as well, so don’t read too much into that,” the well-positioned Washington, D.C.

source said. “The hope is if a deal is near, the Saturday cutoff will be extended by Trump.” The New York Times earlier Wednesday reported on the positioning by Amazon, which has made a series of strategic moves in recent months to gain favor with the White House.

The tech giant’s bid for all of TikTok came via an offer letter addressed to Vice President JD Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, While President Donald Trump has vacillated on TikTok, which is owned by China-based ByteDance, he has recently taken the populist stance that he would fight to save the app even after a congressional ban was upheld by the Supreme Court.

At the center of the tangle over TikTok is the oversight of its operations by the Chinese government. TikTok execs have maintained that they secure user data on separate services that are not accessed by government officials.