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Amazon (AMZN) has spent years flirting with social media, acquiring Twitch for live streaming and Goodreads for book reviews while experimenting with short-form video through its now-defunct Inspire feature. Now, Amazon is making its boldest play yet, placing a last-minute bid for TikTok as the platform faces a U.S. ban unless Chinese parent company ByteDance secures an approved buyer.
With TikTok’s massive user base and influence, Amazon sees an opportunity to expand its advertising dominance and engage younger audiences. But the competition is fierce. Software company Oracle (ORCL), investment firm Blackstone (BX), and multiple billionaire-backed consortiums are also circling while regulatory hurdles loom large. The deal could supercharge Amazon’s ambitions or entangle it in geopolitical and antitrust challenges.