Bezos defends billionaires, hypes AI, praises Trump on CNBC

Superbillionaire Jeff Bezos touted artificial intelligence in an exclusive interview with CNBC on Wednesday, blamed government intervention for the economic crisis and broadly defended himself and his fellow billionaires.

but, Amazon In an extensive interview with Blue Origin founder Andrew Ross Sorkin, he initially struck a populist tone, at times sounding more like some progressive Democrat than one of history’s most successful capitalists.

“This is like a story of two economies,” Bezos told Sorkin at the beginning of the interview, when asked about the growing criticism of billionaires. “There are a lot of people in this country who are doing very well, but there are also a lot of people in this country who are struggling.”

He was quick to support the same tax policy proposal that some Democrats are proposing to their working-class voters: eliminating income taxes on the bottom half of America’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?”

But Bezos’ alliance with the left did not expand any further.

Mr. Bezos, the world’s fourth-richest man, immediately accused politicians of using the “age-old technique” of “picking and pointing the finger at the bad guys”, shortly after acknowledging Americans’ economic hardship.

“The problem is, that doesn’t solve anything,” Bezos said. He later criticized New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani over a viral video in which he berated billionaire Citadel CEO Ken Griffin while announcing a new pied-à-terre tax.

Bezos said it’s not right for the mayor to “stand in front of Ken Griffin’s house and act like he’s some kind of villain.” “Ken Griffin is not a villain. He’s not hurting anyone and he’s not hurting New York. In fact, the opposite is true.”

When asked whether the proposed tax cut for low-income Americans should be accompanied by a tax hike for high-income earners, Mr. Bezos said it was a natural debate, but criticized the “slander” that accompanies it.

“We already have the most progressive tax system in the world,” he added, arguing that the cause of the country’s fiscal problems was overspending, not revenue.

He has pushed aside many critics, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who accuses him of not paying enough in taxes.

“Sometimes people say I don’t pay taxes, but that’s not true. I pay billions of dollars in taxes,” he said.

Bezos argued that just making him pay more is not the solution: “You can double the taxes I pay, but that’s not going to help that teacher in Queens. I promise you that.”

“I know a few teachers in Queens who would like to object,” Mamdani responded to X’s post late Wednesday.

Bezos went on to blame the soaring rent prices on government intervention in the market. He also criticized the political interference of trade unions, saying that corporations and “in some cases the wealthy” have “too much influence over politics.”

Bezos also flatly rejected widespread accusations that society’s wealthiest people are abusing a strategy known as “buy, borrow, die,” in which they borrow money against their vast assets to reduce their tax burden.

“There’s no truth to the ‘buy, rent, die’ story. I don’t even know where this came from,” he said. “I sell Amazon stock regularly.”

When Sorkin mentioned that the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, has taken out large loans using his stock as collateral, Bezos said, “I’m a little skeptical that it’s a real loophole, but if it is, can it be fixed? Then it should be fixed.”

Still, he stressed that addressing the issue won’t make much of a difference. “That nurse in Queens…would be completely useless,” he said.

Mr. Bezos’ belief in free market principles was never more evident than in his rebuke of the widespread narrative that billionaires’ vast wealth will never be earned equitably.

Bezos said the view, which has been espoused by politicians such as New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, “is not true on its face.”

He cited major fast food chains In-N-Out Burger and Raising Cane Chicken Fingers as examples.

“How…to make $1 billion, $100 million, $10 million, etc., you create a service that people love, and if millions of people choose your service, you end up with a billion dollars,” he said. “Try it at the Chicken Franchise.”

Mr. Bezos also dismissed concerns that artificial intelligence would destroy jobs, arguing that the technology would augment workers and improve the economy.

“I think those people are completely wrong,” he said of AI deniers. “What actually happens is it uplifts all of these people.”

He predicted that this nascent technology would improve productivity and result in deflation across a wide range of goods and services, “but only if we take advantage of this technology and don’t block it early with regulation.”

Bezos’ optimism comes as public perception of AI has deteriorated significantly in recent months.

A recent Pew Research Center survey found that half of U.S. adults are more concerned than excited about the increasing use of AI in daily life. Respondents pointed to AI’s potential harm to creativity and relationships, and expressed pessimism about its impact on education and work.

The rapid development of AI data centers spanning hundreds of thousands of square feet has also sparked widespread backlash among those concerned about the impact on the lives of nearby residents.

The rise of AI coding tools from companies like Anthropic and Cursor has also fueled fears that they will replace software engineers and programmers. Technology companies have touted the productivity gains of these tools as widespread cost-cutting efforts lead to mass layoffs.

Bezos insisted that AI coding tools are not a threat to software engineers. He said these will help programmers identify and solve problems on the job.

“It’s just that the work is being done at a higher level,” Bezos said. “It will be done with bulldozers instead of shovels, and that will be good.”

Mr. Bezos told Mr. Sorkin that he believed President Donald Trump was “more mature and more disciplined than he was in his first term.”

“Trump has a lot of good ideas and has accomplished a lot. He was right about a lot of things. You have to give him credit where credit is due,” Bezos said.

Details were not disclosed. The Trump administration has repeatedly tapped into the free market to boost certain companies. intel and boeing To US Steel.

He also rejected accusations that Amazon’s decision to release an expensive documentary about first lady Melania Trump was an effort to curry favor with the president. “The Melania case is an indelible lie,” he said.

Mr. Bezos characterized his efforts as nonpartisan and noted that he has been in contact with former Democratic presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

“Business leaders need to provide input to the administration, no matter who the president is,” he said.

“I’m on America’s side,” he added. “And that’s what a business leader should be.”