A few richie-riches have made offers to buy TikTok, but Amazon is the most high-profile potential buyer thus far. And the marriage would be a match made in capitalist heaven. If you’ve spent any time on TikTok, you’ve probably heard an influencer recommend a product linked on their Amazon storefront. TikTok has its own shop now, but it’s easy to imagine the TikTok shop being replaced and/or integrated into the Amazon online shopping infrastructure. Amazon even tried to make its own version of TikTok called “Inspire,” which never took off. So why not try to acquire the real thing?
Unfortunately for TikTok addicts (and shopping addicts (and Jeff Bezos)), nobody involved with the talks appears “to be taking Amazon’s bid seriously,” per the NYT‘s sources. Another “well-positioned DC source” told Deadline, “There is in [sic] interest from Amazon, but there is interest from others as well, so don’t read too much into that. The hope is if a deal is near, the Saturday cutoff will be extended by Trump.”
The trouble now is that Trump, who kicked off the whole TikTok ban process during his first term, now pledges he wants to “save” the app. But federal law (which was passed with concerns for national security in regards to TikTok’s Chinese ownership) that was upheld by the Supreme Court requires TikTok to either get new ownership or get out of the country. And TikTok has always maintained it’s not for sale, in part “because the Chinese government would block a deal,” per the NYT. So, it’s a real conundrum, but if anyone could find a questionably legal loophole (like bringing in U.S. investors like Oracle and Blackstone, apparently) that would make himself look like a hero, it’s Trump!
