Amazon Among Potential TikTok Buyers as Ban Looms
OnlyFans Founder and Amazon Among Potential TikTok Buyers as Ban Looms
OnlyFans Founder and Amazon Among Potential TikTok Buyers as Ban Looms
The race to purchase TikTok’s U.S. operations has seen new contenders, including OnlyFans founder Tim Stokely and Amazon, as the app faces a looming ban.
In 2024, Congress set a deadline for TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. operations by January 19, 2025.
The ban was briefly delayed after former President Donald Trump allowed ByteDance to seek a buyer within 75 days, but the app is set to go offline if no buyer is found by April 5.
According to Reuters, Stokely, along with the cryptocurrency company Hbar Foundation, has made a last-minute bid to buy TikTok. The offer, sent to the White House by Stokely’s startup Zoop, promises to create a new model where creators and communities benefit directly from the platform’s value.
Zoop co-founder RJ Phillips said,
“Our bid for TikTok isn’t just about changing ownership, it’s about creating a new paradigm.”
Meanwhile, Amazon, led by Jeff Bezos, has also thrown its hat in the ring, although reports suggest the White House isn’t taking Amazon’s offer as seriously as others.
Other contenders include Oracle, which has a history with TikTok after partnering with ByteDance to handle U.S. user data, and MrBeast, who is collaborating with Employer.com founder Jesse Tinsley and Roblox CEO David Baszucki.
Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary is also part of a bid alongside Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt.
With the April 5 deadline fast approaching, the future of TikTok’s U.S. operations remains uncertain.
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