The future access of the Chinese-owned app Tik Tok in the US is still up in the air, and Amazon has reportedly made a bid to acquire it, according to the Associated Press.
A letter to Vice President Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, an official from the President Donald Trump administration, reportedly confirmed the Amazon offer.
A group led by billionaire investor Frank McCourt, which recently hired Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian as a strategic advisor, is among the other bidders, according to the outlet’s report.
The group’s investors claimed that they made ByteDance a cash offer of $20 billion for Tik Tok’s U.S. network.
In addition, it has been reported that Jesse Tinsley, the creator of Employer.com, has formed a consortium and is making ByteDance an offer of over $30 billion for the site.
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Business owner Reid Rasner also confirmed that he offered ByteDance roughly $47.5 billion.
Earlier this year, TikTok was blocked from usage in the United States after the Supreme Court decided to uphold a proposed ban.
However, service was restored to users within 24 hours, but customers who had removed the app remained unable to download it again.
Last spring, the law was first signed by former President Joe Biden after it was approved by both parties in Congress.
The ruling stated, “There is no question that TikTok provides a unique and wide-ranging platform for expression, engagement, and community for over 170 million Americans.”
“However, Congress has concluded that divestiture is required to satisfy its legitimate national security concerns about TikTok’s data collection methods and affiliation with a foreign foe.
