M&A Rumor Mill -- On This Chilly Friday Night, I'd Guess That Amazon May Be In The Best Position To Buy TikTok's US Operations...

To be clear, the companies looking at this have likely been talking for weeks, if not months, as a Plan B (or Plan A, actually) if (as transpired today) the US Supreme Court found the involved Congressional Act to be constitutional, and enforceable against ByteDance, on national security grounds.

So (having actually done a few multi-billion dollar acquisitions in the med tech field, over a long holiday weekend or two) -- I know it can be done. The involved parties probably already have agreed on a formula to value the operations, contingent on pulling engagement and user specs late night tonight (and perhaps Amazon's stock closing price) -- as I'm betting on a stock deal. That way, current holders of ByteDance will see appreciation in what they've been paid, if Amazon maximizes this synergy transaction in the US, in the form of rising Amazon stock prices.

That said, I think any talk of a Musk / X-itter / Rumble / Truth / YouTube or any other social media platform as a buyer will raise significant antitrust concerns (both size of person and size of transaction, under Hart-Scott). Here's another rumor collecting piece:

. . .A former TikTok employee suggested to Forbes that Amazon could potentially purchase the app, as Amazon -- the third-largest advertiser on the app—has deepened its relationship with the platform after announcing a partnership allowing users to browse and purchase Amazon products on TikTok. . . .

So -- yes, that is all rank speculation, on my part. But I'd not bet on US TikTok staying dark for very long, if in fact there isn't a deal by late night on King Day 2025. Onward, grinning.

नमस्ते