‘TikTok America,’ Amazon, and the wild race to buy TikTok

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It’s crunch time for TikTok. Back in January, President Donald Trump threw the wildly popular video app a lifeline, signing an executive order that pushed back a looming ban by 75 days. That clock runs out on April 5th—two days from now—and yet, here we are, still no clear deal in sight to shift TikTok out of the hands of its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, and into compliance with U.S. law. The stakes? A platform with 170 million American users hanging in the balance, national security concerns on one side, and a flood of potential buyers circling like sharks on the other. So, what’s the latest in this chaotic saga? Let’s dig in.

Yesterday, The Information dropped a bombshell: Trump’s reportedly gearing up to unveil a plan for something called “TikTok America.” Picture this—a shiny new company where 50 percent is owned by unnamed U.S. investors, a third stays with ByteDance’s current backers, and ByteDance itself holds onto a 19.9 percent slice. The kicker? This setup would license TikTok’s all-powerful algorithm from ByteDance rather than handing it over outright. It’s a creative workaround, but whether it’ll fly with the ban-or-divest law’s strict rules is anyone’s guess.

That scoop comes hot on the heels of a flurry of reports from heavy hitters like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and CNBC, tossing out a laundry list of names in the TikTok sweepstakes. Alongside long-rumored players like Oracle, Blackstone, and former LA Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, we’ve got some fresh contenders: Amazon, AppLovin, and even AI darling Perplexity. It’s starting to feel like a reality show—Who Wants to Buy a Social Media Empire?—and the deadline’s the season finale.

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Let’s start with AppLovin. If you haven’t heard of them, you’re not alone—they’re not exactly a household name. But this $100 billion mobile tech company is a big deal in the ad world, using data and AI to target users with scary precision. According to The Wall Street Journal, their pitch to the Trump administration is a twofer: they can lock down those pesky national security worries and juice the economy by creating jobs. Bold claim, but with a market cap that hefty, they’ve got the cash to back it up.

Then there’s Amazon. Yep, Jeff Bezos’ e-commerce juggernaut is reportedly throwing its hat in the ring, per NBC News and The New York Times. Why? TikTok’s a goldmine for driving shopping hype—think viral product hauls and “TikTok made me buy it” trends. Amazon even tried its own short-video play with Inspire, a vertical feed it quietly killed off early this year, per TechCrunch. Snagging TikTok could be their ticket to dominating that space. But here’s the catch: some insiders, like a source speaking to NBC, say Amazon’s bid came so late—literally this week—that it’s not being taken seriously. Still, even a long shot from Amazon keeps everyone on their toes.

Oracle’s been in this game for years, ever since it teamed up with Walmart in 2020 for a failed TikTok grab during Trump’s first term. Now, it’s back with a reportedly favored plan alongside investment firms Blackstone and Silver Lake, plus other unnamed players. Reuters says Oracle’s been cozying up to the White House, offering to oversee U.S. user data and keep it out of Chinese hands—a role it already plays as TikTok’s cloud provider. Bloomberg adds that one idea floating around has Oracle taking a minority stake while ByteDance keeps the algorithm, a setup that’s got “compromise” written all over it. But The New York Times warns it’s murky whether that satisfies the law’s demand for a clean break from Chinese control.

Frank McCourt is another name that won’t quit. The real estate billionaire and ex-Dodgers owner has been loudly pitching his “Project Liberty” plan for months, per The Verge. He’s rounded up a crew including “Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, offering ByteDance $20 billion cash to remake TikTok with blockchain tech for user data control. It’s a lofty vision, but McCourt’s admitted to Bloomberg Television that the real hurdle isn’t money—it’s whether ByteDance will even sell.

And don’t sleep on Perplexity, the AI startup that’s proposed to merge with TikTok’s U.S. arm. Their angle? Rebuild the app’s algorithm from scratch to dodge the whole China problem. Ambitious? Sure. Realistic? We’ll see.

The ByteDance Wild Card

Here’s the million-dollar question: does ByteDance even want to sell? The Chinese tech giant’s been cagey. Back in 2024, when then-President Joe Biden signed the divest-or-ban law, ByteDance dug in its heels, fighting it all the way to the Supreme Court—and losing. Trump’s January reprieve gave them breathing room, but there’s no public sign they’re ready to let go. Fortune notes they’ve valued themselves at over $315 billion, with TikTok’s U.S. operations alone pegged at $40-50 billion without the algorithm—or up to $200 billion with it, per Wedbush analyst Dan Ives. That algorithm’s the crown jewel, and Beijing’s made it clear they’re not keen on letting it leave China.

Trump hinted at sweetening the pot, telling reporters Wednesday he might ease up on planned tariffs against China to nudge Beijing toward a deal. Chinese officials, meanwhile, are holding their cards close, waiting to hear Trump’s tariff details before tipping their hand. It’s a high-stakes chess game, and time’s running out.

What’s next?

Just recently, Trump’s slated to huddle with aides in the Oval Office to hash out the proposals, per AP News. Vice President JD Vance, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and national security bigwigs Mike Waltz and Tulsi Gabbard are expected to join. Will they greenlight “TikTok America”? Back Oracle’s play? Give Amazon a second look? Or just kick the can down the road with another extension? Trump’s already said he’s flexible, telling reporters on Monday, “If it’s not finished, it’s not a big deal. We’ll just extend it.”

The ban-or-divest law’s crystal clear: ByteDance has to fully ditch TikTok’s U.S. operations, no “operational relationship” with China allowed, per The Washington Post. Anything less—like leasing the algorithm—could spark a firestorm from China hawks in Trump’s own party. Yet, with 170 million users and a cultural chokehold on Gen Z, the pressure’s on to keep TikTok alive. Trump even credited it with helping him win young voters in 2024.

As of today, we’re still in the dark. Rumors are swirling, bidders are jostling, and the deadline’s looming. Will TikTok dodge the ban bullet again, or is this the end of the road?