Amazon has expressed interest to the White House about acquiring TikTok as a critical deadline looms, by which its parent company, China’s ByteDance, must either divest from the widely-used social media platform or risk facing a ban in the United States, CBS News has learned from two sources with knowledge of the discussions.
The New York Times reported earlier that Amazon has made a bid for the app, citing sources familiar with the situation.
Both Amazon and TikTok have refrained from commenting on the issue.
This bid from the retail giant follows a bill passed by lawmakers last year that established a Jan. 19 deadline for selling the app, which was subsequently extended by Mr. Trump for an additional 75 days. He has indicated that by Saturday, April 5, ByteDance must either divest its investment in TikTok or face a shutdown in the U.S.
According to sources, Amazon’s proposal was communicated in a letter addressed to Vice President JD Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, as reported by the New York Times.
Additionally, AppLovin, a mobile technology firm based in California, has also shown interest in purchasing TikTok, according to a source familiar with the situation, CBS News reported.
During remarks to reporters aboard Air Force One over the weekend, Mr. Trump discussed the sale of TikTok, stating, “We have a lot of potential buyers. There’s a lot of interest in TikTok. The decision is going to be my decision.”
He further remarked that he would “like to see TikTok remain alive.”
