GoKawiilUltrabillionaire Jeff Bezos on Wednesday hyped artificial intelligence, blamed government meddling for economic woes and broadly defended himself and his mega-rich peers in an exclusive interview with CNBC. But the Amazon and Blue Origin founder, in a wide-ranging interview with Andrew Ross Sorkin, initially struck a populist tone, at times sounding more like some progressive Democrats than one of the most successful capitalists in history. "It's kind of a tale of two economies," Bezos told Sorkin at the start of the interview when asked about growing criticism toward billionaires. "You have a bunch of people in this country who are doing really well, but you also have a bunch of people in this country who are struggling." He quickly backed a tax-policy idea that echoes what some Democrats have put forward to court working-class voters: Eliminating income taxes for the bottom half of U.S. earners. "A nurse in Queens who makes $75,000 a year pays more than $12,000 a year in taxes," Bezos said. "Does that really make sense?" Bezos' alliance with the left didn't extend much further, however.
Bezos decries 'vilification' of the rich
Jeff Bezos speaks with CNBC's Squawk Box from Merrit Island, Florida on May 20th, 2026. CNBC
Right after acknowledging Americans' financial struggles, Bezos, the world's fourth-richest person, accused politicians of employing an "age-old technique" of "picking a villain and pointing fingers." "The problem is, that doesn't solve anything," Bezos said. He later criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani over his much-discussed video calling out billionaire Citadel CEO Ken Griffin while unveiling a new pied-à-terre tax. "It isn't right" for the mayor to "stand in front of Ken Griffin's house and act like he is some kind of villain," Bezos said. "Ken Griffin isn't a villain, he hasn't hurt anybody, he's not hurting New York, in fact quite the opposite." Asked whether his proposal to cut lower-income Americans' taxes should coincide with higher rates for top earners, Bezos said it's a valid debate to have, but decried "the vilification" that accompanies it. "We already have the most progressive tax system in the world," he added, arguing that overspending, not revenue, is the source of the country's fiscal problems.
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He pushed back on the many critics, such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who accuse him of not paying enough in taxes. "People sometimes say that, you know, I don't pay taxes. Not true. I pay billions of dollars in taxes," he said. Making him pay more is no solution on its own, Bezos insisted: "You could double the taxes I pay, and it's not going to help that teacher in Queens, I promise you." Mamdani, in an X post, responded later Wednesday, "I know a few teachers in Queens who would beg to differ." Bezos went on to blame high rent prices on government intervention in markets. And while he said there's "way too much influence in politics" from corporations and "in some cases, wealthy people," he also called out unions for political interference.
Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com Inc., during the America Business Forum in Miami, Florida, US, on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Eva Marie Uzcategui | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Bezos also flatly denied widespread accusations that the richest in society exploit a strategy dubbed "buy, borrow, die," in which they borrow money against their large assets to lower their tax burden. "There's no truth to this 'buy, borrow, die' thing. I don't even know where this comes from," he said. "I'm selling Amazon stock routinely." When Sorkin noted that Elon Musk, the world's richest man, takes out large loans against his stock, Bezos said, "I'm a little skeptical that that's a true loophole, but if it is, can we fix it? Then we should." Still, he stressed that addressing that issue still wouldn't make much difference. "That nurse in Queens ... it's not going to help her at all," he said. Bezos' belief in free-market principles was never clearer than in his rebuke of a growing narrative that billionaires' vast wealth can never be earned fairly. "It's not correct on its face," Bezos said of that view, which has been espoused by politicians including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. He pointed to major fast-food chains In-N-Out Burger and Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers as examples. "The way the way you make $1 billion, or $100 million or $10 million or anything, is you create a service that people love, and if millions of people choose your service, you're going to end up with a billion dollars," he said. "Just try it with a chicken franchise."
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