As the weekend deadline for TikTok to find a buyer approaches, the list of bidders interested in acquiring the short-form video social media platform is growing longer.

Amazon and a consortium led by OnlyFans founder Tim Stokely are the latest to join the race to acquire TikTok, which faces an April 5 deadline to reach a deal to sell to a non-Chinese buyer or face being banned from the United States.

U.S. officials have raised security concerns about the app's ties to China, which TikTok and its parent company ByteDance have denied. Trump administration officials are scheduled to meet Wednesday to discuss various options for TikTok.

Zoop, a startup run by Stokely, founder of adult social media platform OnlyFans, has partnered with a cryptocurrency fund to submit a final-stage bid for TikTok.

A US administration official confirmed that Amazon sent a letter to Vice President JD Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Amazon shares rose about 2% following news of the last-minute bid for TikTok.

Amazon has long harbored ambitions to build an internal social network to boost sales and attract younger users. The company bought live-streaming video site Twitch in 2014 for nearly $1 billion and book review site Goodreads in 2013 as part of its efforts to build a viable social network.

Amazon also developed and tested a TikTok-like short video and photo feed called Inspire, but shut down the project earlier this year.

Last month, Mr. Trump said the administration was in contact with four different groups about selling the platform, but did not disclose their identities.

Private equity firm Blackstone is in discussions to join ByteDance’s non-Chinese shareholders — led by Susquehanna International Group and General Atlantic — in a new bid for TikTok’s U.S. business, according to a source last week.

U.S. venture capital fund Andreessen Horowitz is also in talks to bring in additional outside capital to buy out Chinese investors' stakes in TikTok, as part of a plan led by Oracle and other U.S. investors to spin off TikTok from ByteDance, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

The White House-led talks now involve plans to create a US entity for TikTok and reduce China's ownership in the new business below the 20% threshold required by US law.

The New York Times first reported Amazon’s involvement on Wednesday. According to the Times, many parties involved in the negotiations appeared to take Amazon’s proposal lightly.

The future of the app, used by nearly half of Americans, remains uncertain since a 2024 law, passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, required ByteDance to divest TikTok by Jan. 19.

Washington officials say TikTok's ownership by ByteDance puts the app under the control of the Chinese government, and that Beijing could use the app to conduct influence campaigns against the United States and collect data on Americans.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/nguoi-khong-lo-amazon-gia-nhap-cuoc-dua-gianh-quyen-kiem-soat-tiktok-truoc-han-chot-192250403082336188.htm