# Amazon Makes Final Minute Bid for TikTok US

The clock is ticking on TikTok, with the deadline for its sale to a U.S.-based firm quick approaching, which is able to see it both bought off, or booted out of America, probably this week.

And with simply days remaining, plainly Amazon has made a last-minute pitch to accumulate the app, as a part of its expanded on-line purchasing imaginative and prescient.

As reported by The New York Instances, Amazon has introduced a suggestion to the Trump administration, within the hopes of taking up the app, which counts 170 million U.S. customers. The view would seemingly then be that Amazon may use TikTok as a car to develop its product listings, and generate extra gross sales by way of the platform.

Walmart had an identical thought when it joined a bid to accumulate the app the final time the U.S. authorities tried to drive a TikTok sale again in 2020, with Walmart reportedly searching for to grab on its product promotion potential to drive extra gross sales.

TikTok has vital potential on this regard, with the Chinese language model of the app (Douyin) producing virtually $US500 million in product gross sales final yr, although Western shoppers have been much less fascinated with purchasing within the app. Besides, TikTok’s in-app gross sales are rising, and Amazon may seize on this, whereas additionally increasing its attain and affect.

Value noting too that Amazon really tried to create its personal TikTok clone in 2022.  

As such, it makes a variety of sense for Amazon to make a play for the app, although proper now at the least, it doesn’t appear to be it’s within the race.

As per NYT:

“Numerous events who’ve been concerned within the talks don’t seem like taking Amazon’s bid severely. The bid got here by way of a suggestion letter addressed to Vice President JD Vance and Howard Lutnick, the commerce secretary, in line with an individual briefed on the matter.”

So who’s within the race?

Effectively, Oracle stays the lead bidder, with the corporate’s hyperlinks to Trump (Trump and Oracle CEO Larry Ellison are buddies), and its working relationship with TikTok (Oracle already helps TikTok’s U.S. infrastructure) seemingly best-positioning it to facilitate a deal that can please each the White Home and the corporate’s Chinese language possession.

Whether or not the Chinese language authorities will approve is one other questions, whereas there are additionally varied intricacies inside the International Adversary Managed Functions Act, the invoice regarding TikTok’s U.S. possession, that can make any deal advanced.

President Trump is reportedly assembly with high White Home officers as we speak to debate the deal, and Trump has repeatedly acknowledged that he’s assured that they are going to work out an answer earlier than the prolonged April 4th deadline.

And if not, Trump has stated that he’ll look to increase the deadline as soon as once more.

Which can be legally advanced, however extending the deadline within the first place was already on shaky authorized floor, so…

Basically, we should always discover out very quickly whether or not TikTok might be banned within the U.S. this week, although that also appears unlikely.