Investing.com – TikTok could potentially be a “strong” strategic fit for Amazon (NASDAQ:) as the short-form video platform’s Chinese owner looks to sell the app and stop it from being banned in the US, according to analysts at Morgan Stanley (NYSE:).
US authorities have argued that TikTok poses a national security risk. Other lawmakers have flagged that the Chinese government owns a “golden share” of TikTok-parent ByteDance, possibly granting Beijing large sway over the app.
A federal ban of TikTok is due to come into effect on Sunday unless there is an eleventh-hour agreement reached with ByteDance to divest its US assets to a non-Chinese buyer.
Should there be a viable deal, President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming national security adviser has suggested that the new administration may choose to allow the social media service used by 170 million Americans to continue operating in the US. Speaking to Fox News, US Representative Mike Waltz said Trump’s team will put measures in place to “keep TikTok from going dark”.
In a note to clients on Friday, the Morgan Stanley analysts said a sale now “seems to be more likely” as the January 19 deadline approaches.
“While much still depends on China’s preferences, recent reports […] suggest China may be contemplating allowing a divestiture as part of broader negotiations between the US and China,” the analysts led by Brian Nowak wrote.
They argued that TikTok would fold well into Amazon’s operations, saying it could boost the e-commerce titan’s digital advertising business and help it build a “social shopping experience”.
Meanwhile, Amazon is only one of a “limited” number of firms or individuals with large enough cash flows to afford the likely “lofty expected purchase price” commanded by TikTok’s US assets, they added.
The analysts said they were not going to speculate on the price of a possible deal, noting as well that neither Amazon nor TikTok executives have commented on a potential tie-up. They also said they have “no knowledge of any specific transaction being discussed”.
(Reuters contributed reporting.)
