Amazon, AppLovin Bid To Buy TikTok Ahead of Deadline, Reports Say

Amazon (AMZN) and adtech firm AppLovin (APP) have become the latest firms to bid for TikTok, ahead of a U.S. ban of the app set to go into effect Saturday if no deal is reached with the app’s Chinese parent company.

Amazon submitted a letter outlining its bid to Vice President JD Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, according to a New York Times report Wednesday. However, officials involved in talks are not taking the offer seriously, the report said, citing people familiar with the bid.

Meanwhile, AppLovin has met with former Wynn Resorts (WYNN) CEO Steve Wynn about possible financial backing, according to a Wall Street Journal report Wednesday.

Amazon declined to remark on its reported bid, while AppLovin did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Shares of Amazon gained 2% and AppLovin shares added close to 3% Wednesday.

The offers come as Trump is meeting with Vance, Lutnick and other officials Wednesday about a potential deal led by Oracle (ORCL), according to reporting from the New York Times and others. Wedbush analysts told clients in a note Tuesday that they believe Oracle’s offer could potentially serve as “a linchpin to safeguarding US consumer data” on the platform.

The analysts added they expect “some outline of a deal” could be announced before Friday night, but that an extension might also be issued to allow the parties involved to iron out details. If no deal for TikTok is reached, a U.S. ban of the app is set to go into effect Saturday, after President Trump signed an executive order in January delaying the action by 75 days.

Several others have also previously expressed interest in buying TikTok, including “Shark Tank” host Kevin O’Leary and Project Liberty founder Frank McCourt, who had submitted a proposal in January. Reddit (RDDT) co-founder Alexis Ohanian joined the bid in March.