President Donald Trump's current deadline for Tiktok's parent company Bytedance to sell the American part expires on Saturday.
Three people are now telling the newspaper that Amazon has made a bid. It is said to have been made in a letter to Vice President JD Vance and Trade Minister Howard Lutnick, according to a source.
AppLovin's alleged bid is said to be backed by casino mogul Steve Wynn, who has previously been accused of having too close ties to Chinese interests.
Also among others, the software company Oracle has been mentioned among the interested parties.
After a long series of twists, the US Supreme Court approved the proposal to ban Tiktok in the country in January. This was due to security concerns surrounding the platform's ties to China.
Then a deadline expired for Bytedance to sell at least parts of the business in the USA to an American owner – and the app was shut down for 170 million American users.
But the same day Trump was sworn in, he gave Bytedance more time to find an American co-owner, whereupon the app was turned back on again.
Also, the software company Microsoft and the retail chain Walmart have made bids on Tiktok.
Trump has hinted that the US may ease the 20-percent import tariffs on China if the country agrees to a Tiktok sale.
The President has given JD Vance an order to help mediate the deal.
