Featured Image Credit: Bloomberg / Contributor / Getty
For once, it looks like the tech bros are playing nicely and are willing to share their toys.
Well, some of them. It's no secret that Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have something of a complicated relationship, which we don't imagine is helped by the fact they're both reaching for the stars with their respective companies, SpaceX and Blue Origin.
The world's richest man has made his feelings on Jeff Bezos clear, with recent documents in the Elon Musk and Sam Altman saga seeing the former apparently refer to Bezos as a 'tool'.
Bezos and Musk's feud supposedly goes back to an awkward SpaceX facility tour in 2004, with them clashing on everything from politics to rocket patents, calling each other copycats, and Blue Origin suing NASA over its partnership with SpaceX.
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Bezos was once the richest man in the world, and while he's long-since been overtaken by Musk and slipped down the rankings, it appears they share some of the same thoughts on billionaires giving to charity. Speaking to CNBC's Squawk Box, Bezos discussed the likes of his 'follow the data' business mantra, Amazon's ill-fated Melania Trump documentary, the vast acceleration of AI, and more.
Getting to his many business ventures, Bezos mused: "If I do my job right, the value to society and civilization from my for-profit companies will be much, much larger than the good that I do with my charitable giving."
With a reported net worth of $272.3 billion, Bezos claimed that people often forget that creating something like Amazon leads to adoration from places you might expect. He maintained that he often gets letters from new mothers who thank him for Amazon's services, as well as congratulations for the company’s work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Saying that Amazon creates 'tremendous value', Bezos concluded that all companies operating similarly do the same.
Sharing this clip, Musk gave a typically short response when he wrote: "Bravo@JeffBezos!"
Despite their previous differences, it seems the two are finally burying the hatchet. Still, with Musk being far and away the world's richest with $807.7 billion, his own charitable giving has again been called into question.
Musk's participation (or lack of) in the Giving Pledge has been brought up before, while his critics have repeatedly claimed he could solve world hunger with his wealth.
Bezos' musings come after he and the rest of the world's richest come under fire for how they spend their money. Just weeks ago, the Amazon overlord was lambasted for spending a reported $10 million to sponsor the Met Gala, with it unfavorably being branded the 'Tech Gala' by critics.
Replying to Bezos' original interview, tech favorite JerryRigEverything wrote: "Has he ever thought that maybe the two don't need to be mutually exclusive? He can literally do both and still be a billionaire."
Another complained: "Just a couple of Billionaires investigating their own motives and concluding that their space monopolies are actually a massive public service. The ultimate capitalist flex. 🤣💪."
A third joked: "'My companies making me richer is actually charity' 😂 Sir, Amazon warehouse workers can't afford healthcare, drivers pee in bottles, and you're telling us your for-profit business is greater than actual charity? 💀 The most expensive way to say 'I don't want to pay taxes' 😭."
Others didn't see an issue, with one supporter concluding: "If only people understood this, half the country wants to crush all the successful companies and CEOs."
