Potential buyers line up for TikTok ahead of deadline

Amazon is among the last-minute bidders for the popular video-sharing app, which is facing a question of survival in the US.
April 4, 2025

With a looming April 5 deadline for TikTok to spin off from its Chinese parent company ByteDance or face a possible ban in the US, more bidders are throwing their hat into the ring.

President Donald Trump is weighing offers for the app’s US operations in ongoing White House discussions. In his most recent statement last month, “four different groups” were said to be interested, although these bidders were not identified by name. And ByteDance has not publicly confirmed any talks with buyers.

E-commerce giant Amazon is reportedly the latest comer to join the potential buyers list, submitting a bid just two days ago, according to multiple media reports. And another last-minute proposal has come from a partnership between Zoop—a startup operated by adult content platform OnlyFans founder Tim Stokely—and cryptocurrency foundation HBAR Foundation.

Back in January, YouTube star Jimmy Donaldson (better known as MrBeast) submitted an early bid with employer.com founder and CEO Jesse Tinsley, and businessman Frank McCourt through his Project Liberty org—which noted that it had “secured expressions of interest of over US$20 billion in capital” in a December 2024 statement.

Another name that has been in the running is search engine Perplexity AI, which proposed a merger with TikTok’s US unit that would also allow the US government to own up to 50% of the new company, according to CNBC.

Despite its uncertain future in the US—and national security concerns—the short-form video platform has remained a popular hub for kids and teens looking for snappy online content. Four- to 18-year-olds are spending an average of two hours on TikTok daily, according to a January 2025 report published by Qustodio.

Updated at 2:00 PM ET: The April 5 deadline for a TikTok sale has just been extended to June 19—and the app is expected to remain up and running until then. The deal “requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed,” Trump stated in a post on his Truth Social platform this afternoon. 

Image courtesy of Alexander Shatov/Unsplash

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