Amazon Makes Surprise Bid to Buy Popular Social Media Platform Just Before Deadline: Report

With a critical Saturday deadline fast approaching, the embattled social media platform TikTok may have found an unexpected savior.

And it comes in the form of a corporate giant.

As reported by The New York Times, Amazon has allegedly placed a bid to acquire TikTok just days before the app must sever ties with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.

Though Amazon has yet to publicly confirm this potential game-changing offer, the Times cited information from “three people familiar with the bid.”

However, those sources also introduced a significant caveat: “Various parties who have been involved in the talks do not appear to be taking Amazon’s bid seriously.”

That revelation may not sit well with Amazon’s founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos, but it aligns with TikTok’s turbulent history—marked by a meteoric rise and an equally dramatic (potential) downfall.

Since its debut in September 2017, TikTok has quickly become a dominant force in the social media landscape, particularly among younger users.

What sets TikTok apart from platforms like X or Facebook is its exclusive focus on video content. Users can easily spend hours scrolling through an endless stream of short-form videos.

Yet, while concerns over attention spans are one issue, TikTok has drawn bipartisan criticism in Congress for reasons far beyond mere social media consumption.

The first major concern is the platform’s role in spreading dangerous trends, such as:

• Improvising homemade weapons
• Grand theft auto
• Marinating chicken in NyQuil
• How to illegally squat in properties

Even more troubling for lawmakers, however, are TikTok’s connections to the Chinese government through ByteDance.

These national security concerns have driven a rare moment of bipartisan unity, resulting in broad support for either banning the app outright or requiring it to be sold off from ByteDance.

According to Reuters, lawmakers from both parties passed legislation in 2024 mandating this divestment, originally setting a deadline for January.

President Donald Trump later extended that deadline to April 5—this coming Saturday.

In an effort to determine the best course of action regarding TikTok’s future, Trump was scheduled to meet on Wednesday with key members of his administration, including Vice President J.D. Vance and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.

As Reuters reports, Trump has stated, “I’d like to see TikTok remain alive.”