At TikTok, a string of recent US executive exits have created a management vacuum that Chinese leaders are filling, current and former staffers said.

Walmart is actively considering joining a group of investors to buy TikTok, according to sources close to the deal, who say Walmart's interest was triggered by Amazon throwing their hat into the ring.

Marketing platform AppLovin said on Thursday it has submitted a bid for TikTok assets outside of China, ahead of the April 5 deadline set by the U.S. President Donald Trump to find a non-Chinese buyer for the short video app used by 170 million Americans.

Trump said his order will give TikTok's Chinese parent company another 75 days to sell its stake in the social media app or else be banned in the U.S.

President Donald Trump on Friday is expected to extend the deadline for TikTok to find a U.S. buyer or face a ban, according to a person familiar with the plans.

TikTok on Friday was hours from a deadline to find a non-Chinese owner or face a ban in the United States. In the hours before that deadline, TikTok temporarily shut down in the United States and disappeared from app stores,

TikTok faces a mountain of litigation over child safety and privacy, a big risk for potential bidders vying to save the popular video app in the US.

AppLovin has made a preliminary bid to acquire TikTok's operations outside China ahead of the April 5 deadline set by President Trump. This move could strengthen AppLovin's global advertising position.