Amazon has made a last-minute bid for short-video social media platform TikTok’s US operations ahead of the weekend deadline.
The company has sent a letter to Vice President JD Vance and Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Reuters reported, citing a US administration official.
Amazon declined to comment, while TikTok did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
According to GlobalData MD Neil Saunders, Amazon’s bid underlines the growing importance of the platform in e-commerce, which is where Amazon likely sees a good fit.
“While Amazon is the number one destination for searching for products, it remains a channel that is most suited to planned and specific purchases.
“It has certainly made some inroads into becoming a place for consumer entertainment and discovery, which led to impulse purchases, but this is very much the preserve of TikTok and TikTok Shop. This more impulse driven part of the market is faster growing than more established ecommerce channels,” the analyst elaborated.
Saunders believed combining TikTok content and its role in areas like livestreaming with Amazon’s fulfilment capability and extensive assortment would strengthen both companies.
According to Reuters, Startup Zoop, which is run by OnlyFans founder Tim Stokely, has also submitted a late-stage plan to bid for TikTok, in partnership with a cryptocurrency foundation.
The short-video social media site was required to find a non-Chinese buyer for its US business by April 5 under threat of being banned from the US.
Local officials have raised security concerns over the app’s ties to China, which TikTok and its parent company ByteDance have denied.
In January, it was revealed by the New York Times that Amazon had secured rights to an exclusive ‘behind the scenes’ documentary film on the life of First Lady Melania Trump, scheduled for streaming during the second half of this year. She will be the executive director of the production, and it was later reported by The Guardian that she would be paid a US$40 million ‘licensing fee’ for the project.
