Amazon submits bid for TikTok as ban deadline nears

Amazon submits bid for TikTok as ban deadline nears


Guests including Mark Zuckerberg, Lauren Sanchez, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai and Elon Musk attend the Inauguration of Donald J. Trump in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. 

Julia Demaree Nikhinson | Getty Images

Amazon submitted a bid to the White House to purchase the social media app TikTok from its Chinese owners, CNBC has confirmed.

The company sent its proposal in a letter this week to Vice President JD Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, according to a source familiar with the matter who asked not to be named because the discussions are confidential. The parties aren’t treating the bid seriously, however, given that it was submitted just days before a deadline staving off a U.S. ban is set to expire, the person said.

Amazon declined to comment.

The e-commerce company’s offer, which was first reported by The New York Times, comes as TikTok’s fate in the U.S. is up in the air. The short-form video app faces another potential shutdown in the U.S. on April 5 if ByteDance, its parent company, can’t reach a deal to divest TikTok’s American operations. Lawmakers passed a bill last year setting a Jan. 19 deadline for the sale, but Trump signed an executive order granting a 75-day extension for a potential deal.

Trump could announce a decision on TikTok’s fate in the U.S. as soon as Wednesday, sources familiar with the situation told CNBC’s David Faber. Mobile technology company AppLovin has also made a bid for TikTok, Faber reported separately, citing sources familiar with the matter.

TikTok has emerged as a major hub for e-commerce as it has poured money into growing its online marketplace, called TikTok Shop. TikTok’s lucrative marketplace, coupled with the app’s more than 170 million users, could be an attractive asset for Amazon. Following TikTok’s success, Amazon launched and then shuttered a short-form video service of its own.

Last August, the two companies formed a partnership that allowed TikTok users to link their account with Amazon and make purchases from the site without leaving the app. The deal attracted scrutiny from lawmakers who were concerned about its potential national security risks.

WATCH: How TikTok Shop is beating Amazon and Temu in social shopping

How TikTok Shop Became The Fastest Growing Social Media Shopping Platform



Source

U.S. stocks are at record highs, but the outlook for the world’s largest economy is no clearer
World

U.S. stocks are at record highs, but the outlook for the world’s largest economy is no clearer

Traders work at the New York Stock Exchange on June 18, 2025. NYSE U.S. stocks have strongly rebounded after a rough start to the year, even as the outlook for the world’s largest economy and its interest rates remains as uncertain as ever. Economic modeling is “very difficult” right now because “things are changing constantly,” […]

Read More
German inflation unexpectedly falls to 2% in June, hitting ECB’s target
World

German inflation unexpectedly falls to 2% in June, hitting ECB’s target

Janine Kraft, store manager of the Tante Enso store in Wörlitz, Germany, sorts goods onto the shelves. Picture Alliance | Picture Alliance | Getty Images Germany’s annual inflation rate unexpectedly eased to 2% in June, bringing Europe’s largest economy in line with the European Central Bank’s target, preliminary data from statistics office Destatis showed Monday. […]

Read More
Treasury yields tick lower as Trump’s spending bill in focus
World

Treasury yields tick lower as Trump’s spending bill in focus

U.S. Treasury yields moved lower as investors monitored whether the Senate would pass President Donald Trump’s divisive spending bill over the next few hours. At 3:59 a.m. ET, the benchmark yield was 2 basis points lower at 4.257%, and the 30-year yield moved 3 basis points lower to 4.814%. Meanwhile, the  2-year yield was little changed […]

Read More