Amazon has officially entered the race to acquire TikTok. According to reports from The New York Times, Bloomberg, and others, the company has submitted a letter of intent to U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick.
The offer was made just ahead of the April 5 deadline set by the Trump administration. The deadline mandates that TikTok be sold to a U.S.-based entity or banned nationwide.
However, on April 4, President Trump announced a 75-day extension, allowing more time to finalize a potential deal.
Who Else Is Competing for TikTok?
Other interested parties include:
- Oracle, which has previously partnered with TikTok to manage U.S. user data,
- AppLovin, an advertising technology firm,
- Investment groups such as Blackstone, Andreessen Horowitz, and billionaire Frank McCourt.
The U.S. government is considering various scenarios, including licensing TikTok’s core algorithm or allowing minority investors to participate. A significant complication is that China has placed an export ban on the recommendation algorithm—TikTok’s most valuable asset.
What’s the White House’s Position?
The White House has not yet confirmed which offers are being prioritized, but it’s clear that decisions are being made at the highest levels.
Concerns go far beyond data privacy—TikTok’s algorithm has massive influence over public opinion. That’s why Congress passed legislation to ban TikTok from operating under Chinese control in the U.S. Still, Donald Trump has stated:
We don’t want TikTok to disappear. We expect cooperation between TikTok and China to finalize the deal.
And What About BookTok?
While this battle is mainly about tech and geopolitics, Amazon acquiring TikTok could have huge implications for the book industry. BookTok—the reading-focused corner of the platform—is now one of the world’s most influential book recommendation engines. Many books become bestsellers solely because they go viral in this community.
If Amazon were to take over TikTok, it could:
- further, monetize BookTok content,
- push titles available on its platform over competitors,
- reshape TikTok’s recommendation system using Amazon’s sales data,
- influence reading trends—not just as a bookseller but as a global book promotion channel owner.
What’s Next for TikTok—and Publishing?
It’s still unclear whether Amazon will ultimately acquire TikTok. Final decisions are expected soon, and the consequences could reach far beyond the tech world—potentially reshaping the publishing industry, which has become increasingly dependent on social media.
If Amazon merges its retail power with control over one of the most effective book promotion platforms, it could permanently shift the balance of power in publishing—both in the U.S. and worldwide.
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