• by Tanya Gazdik , April 2, 2025

Amazon and a startup run by OnlyFans founder have submitted plans to acquire TikTok from Chinese owner ByteDance, the two said on Wednesday.

“The intent to bid was sent this week to the White House by Zoop, billionaire Tim Stokely's new company, and the Hbar Foundation, which manages the Hedera cryptocurrency network's treasury,” according to Reuters. “While OnlyFans is known mainly for pornography, Zoop is mainstream and family-friendly, and gives back the majority of its revenue to those who post on the site, rewarding them for driving up user engagement.”

Amazon also put in a last-minute offer for the video app, according to three people familiar with the talks.

“Various parties who have been involved in the talks do not appear to be taking Amazon’s bid seriously, the people said,” according to The New York Times, which first reported the bid. “The bid came via an offer letter addressed to Vice President JD Vance and Howard Lutnick, the commerce secretary, according to a person briefed on the matter.”

President Trump has pledged repeatedly to save the app despite national security concerns. He is slated to meet with top White House officials Wednesday to discuss TikTok’s fate. The app has until April 5 to find a buyer or face a ban in the U.S.

"TikTok has emerged as a major hub for e-commerce as it has poured money into growing its online marketplace, called TikTok Shop,” according to CNBC. “TikTok’s lucrative marketplace, coupled with the app’s more than 170 million users, could be an attractive asset for Amazon. Following TikTok’s success, Amazon launched and then shuttered a short-form video service of its own.”

A spokesperson for Amazon declined to comment to several media organizations. A representative for Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to NBC News.