TikTok Sale Talks Heat Up: Full List of Potential Buyers

• Competition is heating up between buyers of TikTok’s U.S. operations.
• President Donald Trump extended the deadline to April 5.
• Trump said a deal could be made before the deadline.

TikTok is racing against the clock to find a buyer for its U.S. business as its April 5 deadline looms.

After receiving a 75-day extension on the original deadline by President Donald Trump, competition is heating up between potential buyers of the platform, which houses some 170 million American users.

Here is a complete list of TikTok’s potential buyers.

Amazon

On Wednesday, April 3, Amazon put in a last-minute bid to purchase TikTok ahead of the platform’s planned ban on Saturday, the New York Times reported , citing three people familiar with the matter.

The sources told the publication that the offer was made in a letter to Vice President J.D. Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

Amazon has crossovers with the Chinese video sharing platform through its e-commerce arm known as TikTok Shop. Influencers on TikTok often urge users to buy products from Amazon to receive a small cut of the transactions.

The bid makes Amazon the most high-profile bidder for the company so far.

Zoop

Social platform Zoop also put in an offer to buy TikTok’s U.S. operations on Wednesday, April 2, in partnership with the HBAR Foundation.

The move seeks to “redefine social media by putting creators and fans at the forefront,” the two companies said in a press release.

Zoop said it envisions TikTok becoming the first major platform where creators and engaged community members “receive the majority share of all revenue their content and interactions generate.”

Tim Stokely, co-founder of ZOOP and founder of OnlyFans said the company’s partnership with the HBAR foundation will use blockchain technology as a foundation for transparent revenue sharing via the Hedera network.

“The current social media model is fundamentally imbalanced,” Stokely said.

“Big tech platforms have built trillion-dollar valuations while the creators who make all the content often struggle to make ends meet” he added.

Trump Administration in Talks With “Four Different Parties”

On Sunday, March 9, Trump said his administration was in talks with four different groups about the sale of TikTok.

When asked if a deal could soon be made to buy TikTok, the U.S. President replied, “It could.”

“We’re dealing with four different groups, and a lot of people want it… all four are good,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One.

Alexis Ohanian

On Monday, March 3, billionaire real estate mogul Frank McCourt announced that Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian had joined his bid to acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations, Reuters reported .

Since founding Reddit, Ohanian has invested in many tech companies, including Patreon and OpenSea.

McCourt said Ohanian would help promote the bid by Project Liberty, a non-profit initiative founded by McCourt in 2021 to transform the internet and prioritize user autonomy and data privacy.

“Where he can help mostly is validating but also socializing what we’re doing,” said McCourt. “On the one hand, this is a project which has very sophisticated technology at the core, and so you’re dealing with a very specific audience when it comes to demonstrating the validity of that technology and in how it works, and why it’s necessary.”

“And then you have a totally different constituency, which is basically non-technologists, who are impacted by this technology more than they realize,” McCourt added.

Ohanian sold Reddit to Conde Nast in 2006 before returning as executive chair in 2014.

Frank McCourt

In the lead up to TikTok’s original deadline, McCourt and a group of other hopeful buyers, sent ByteDance a formal offer to purchase the application, Reuters reported .

McCourt said that without TikTok’s algorithm, which ByteDance said cannot be sold, the video-sharing app was worth $20 billion.

According to Fortune, ByteDance’s global operations were estimated to be worth around $286 billion as of December 2023.

Acquiring TikTok’s U.S. operations through Project Liberty would align with McCourt’s broader mission to reform the digital landscape.

By leveraging Project Liberty’s infrastructure, McCourt wants to transition TikTok’s 170 million American users to a platform that offers enhanced data control and a more transparent approach to content moderation.

“It would really catalyze this alternative internet because it would compress timelines and create scale very quickly,” McCourt said in an interview .

TikTok for Sale in the U.S.

After TikTok went dark in the U.S. before its original Jan. 19 deadline, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to give the Chinese-owned platform more time to find a buyer.

The President said he would like to see the U.S. acquire a 50% ownership stake in the video-sharing app.

“I would like the U.S. to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture. By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands, and allow it to stay up,” he wrote on Truth Social.

Since then, Trump has gone on to downplay the threats TikTok poses to national security.

The President questioned whether it’s “that important for China to be spying on young people, on young kids watching crazy videos.”

Trump’s lack of urgency regarding the app, which he previously admitted to holding a warm spot for, has put him at odds with fellow government members and leaders.

Brendan Carr, the chair of the FCC, said , “TikTok’s own conduct makes clear that it is beholden to the CCP and presents an unacceptable threat to U.S. national security.”

However, as it stands, the app will be able to stay in the U.S. as long as it belongs to a U.S. entity.

Oracle and the U.S. Government

President Trump is reportedly negotiating a deal with TikTok, which will see Oracle and a group of investors take over the app’s global operations.

Under the deal, Oracle, which currently handles TikTok’s web infrastructure, would oversee the app’s algorithm, data collection, and software updates, NPR reported.

China-based ByteDance would hold a minority stake in the company.

“The goal is for Oracle to effectively monitor and provide oversight with what is going on with TikTok,” an unnamed source told NPR.

“ByteDance wouldn’t completely go away, but it would minimize Chinese ownership,” it added.

Elon Musk

On Tuesday, Jan. 14, a Bloomberg report cited sources claiming Chinese officials were exploring an option for Tesla CEO Elon Musk to purchase the app before the deadline.

Trump also said on Tuesday, Jan. 21, he was open to Musk buying TikTok.

This scenario would see Musk’s X take control of the social media platform. The publication reported that a high-profile sale to Musk would hold some appeal for TikTok and the Chinese government.

However, TikTok has vehemently denied these claims.

“We can’t be expected to comment on pure fiction,” a TikTok spokesperson told BBC News .

Since then, Musk has denied any attempt to purchase TikTok.

Steven Mnuchin

In March 2024, CNBC reported that former U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had plans to assemble a consortium of investors to acquire TikTok.

Mnuchin believed that TikTok should be under U.S. ownership, telling CNBC, “I think the legislation should pass, and I think it should be sold. It’s a great business, and I’m going to put together a group to buy TikTok.”

Mnuchin’s interest in TikTok arose as the U.S. government raised concerns surrounding the app’s Chinese ownership and potential national security risks.

“This should be owned by U.S. businesses. There’s no way that the Chinese would ever let a U.S. company own something like this in China,” he said.

During his tenure as Treasury Secretary, Mnuchin was involved in discussions about TikTok’s future in the U.S., including a proposed deal in 2020 where Oracle and Walmart wanted to take significant stakes in the company.

In his 2024 bid, Mnuchin considered acquiring TikTok without its proprietary algorithm, recognizing that the Chinese government would likely oppose a sale involving this core technology.

Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal

Kingdom Holding Company (KHC), led by Saudi prince Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, is reportedly considering an investment in TikTok if Musk or another significant investor makes a move.

KHC has already invested in Musk’s social media platform X and AI startup xAI.

The company currently invests in a diverse portfolio, including healthcare and real estate.

Perplexity AI

California-based conversational search engine company Perplexity AI has submitted a bid to merge with TikTok’s U.S. operations.

This move could mark an unprecedented blend of advanced AI-driven search and social media.

Unlike previous acquisition attempts, Perplexity AI has pitched a merger, allowing investors in ByteDance to retain their stakes.

The proposal calls for the U.S. government to own up to 50% of the combined company in a future initial public offering, Reuters reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.

The merger would provide mass video content for Perplexity’s AI search engine.

Jimmy Donaldson, MrBeast

Popular YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, known online as MrBeast, has publicly offered to buy TikTok to prevent its ban in the U.S.

“I just got out of a meeting with a bunch of billionaires, TikTok, we mean business,” MrBeast said in a video on TikTok, two days after announcing he wanted to buy the platform.

“This is my lawyer right here. We have an offer ready for you; we want to buy the platform,” he added.

However, despite the jovial tone, Donaldson’s intentions were serious, his lawyer told CNN on Tuesday.