Bezos Exclusive Interview: Defending Billionaires, Opposing Premature AI Regulation, Trump "More Mature Than in His First Term"
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos expressed his views on topics such as wealth, taxation, artificial intelligence, and the Trump administration in a public interview.
On May 20th, during an interview with CNBC, Bezos said that the United States has fallen into the predicament of "two economies coexisting." He supports eliminating income tax for the lower half of American earners, a policy stance similar to some Democrats.
However, he refused to raise the tax rate for the wealthy, claiming that America’s fiscal problems stem from government overspending. He defended the rich, criticizing politicians for portraying the wealthy as "villains."
On the AI topic, he opposes premature regulation and refutes the argument that AI will take jobs. Meanwhile, he highly praised Trump, saying he is a "more mature and disciplined version of himself than in his first term."
Tax stance: Reduce the burden on low-income earners, reject the "soak the rich" logic
Bezos began the interview with a relatively down-to-earth approach to the tax topic:
A nurse in Queens earning $75,000 a year pays more than $12,000 in taxes each year. Is this really reasonable?
He used this example to support exempting the lowest half of earners in America from income tax.
However, he refused to tie this proposal to raising taxes on the wealthy. Bezos stated that America already has "the most progressive tax system in the world," and the root cause of fiscal problems lies in government overspending, not insufficient taxation.
He also denied allegations of tax evasion:
I have paid billions of dollars in taxes.
He emphasized:
Even if you double my tax burden, it will not help that nurse in Queens, I assure you.
He directly responded to criticisms about the rich using the "buy, borrow, die" strategy to avoid taxes, saying "this has no factual basis," and stated that he has continuously been selling Amazon stock.
Regarding Elon Musk’s practice of pledging shares for loans, Bezos said "I'm somewhat skeptical whether this really constitutes a loophole, but if it does, it should be closed."
Defending the wealthy, opposing the "villain creation" political logic
Despite showing some willingness to compromise on tax issues, Bezos immediately criticized the practice of politicians portraying the wealthy as the root cause of social problems.
He called this approach a "classic tactic of picking villains and blaming others," warning that "this solves nothing."
He singled out New York City Council member Zohran Mamdani for posing in front of Citadel CEO Ken Griffin’s residence when announcing a new "second home tax," portraying Griffin as a villain. Bezos said:
Ken Griffin is not a villain. He hasn’t hurt anyone. He hasn’t hurt New York. In fact, it's just the opposite.
Mamdani later responded on platform X:
I know several teachers in Queens who would disagree.
As for the claim that "billionaire wealth cannot be accumulated legitimately," Bezos used examples like In-N-Out Burger and Raising Cane's fast food chains to refute:
The way you accumulate a billion dollars is by creating a service people love. If millions of people choose your service, you will ultimately accumulate a billion dollars.
Optimistic about AI: Against premature regulation, refuting the "taking jobs" theory
On the topic of artificial intelligence, Bezos has a distinctly optimistic stance. He refutes the view that AI will cause mass unemployment, saying those who hold such views are "completely wrong," believing that AI will enhance worker capabilities and lead to lower prices across industries through increased productivity.
He likened AI programming tools to "upgrading a shovel to a bulldozer," believing these tools won’t replace software engineers but will help programmers solve problems at a higher level. However, he also cautioned:
The premise of these positive effects is to let the technology naturally evolve and not constrain it with premature regulation.
A recent Pew Research Center survey showed that half of American adults are more worried than excited about the use of AI in daily life, and respondents were generally pessimistic about AI’s impact on education and employment.
Assessment of Trump: Mature, disciplined, and maintains bipartisan contact
Bezos gave positive comments about Trump, saying he is "a more mature, more disciplined version of himself than in his first term," and stated "Trump has many good ideas, he is right about many things, and should be given proper recognition," although specifics were not given.
He denied the claim that Amazon produced an expensive documentary about Melania Trump to curry favor with the president, calling it "an enduring lie."
Bezos emphasized his stance transcends party lines, stating he also maintains contact with Democratic former presidents Obama and Biden. He said:
No matter who is president, our business leaders need to provide advice to the executive administration. I stand with America.
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