Amazon founder Jeff Bezos denies job insecurity caused by AI, and also spoke about his support for eliminating income tax for the lower half of the population and his admiration for President Trump.
Jeff Bezos, founder of major online retailer Amazon and space exploration company Blue Origin, gave an exclusive interview to CNBC. In the interview, Bezos expressed his support for eliminating income tax for the lower half of the income bracket, denied job insecurity due to AI, and praised President Donald Trump as more mature than he was during his first term.
Bezos defends billionaires, hypes AI, praises Trump on CNBC
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Jeff Bezos Pushes to End Federal Income Taxes for Millions of Americans – IJR
https://ijr.com/jeff-bezos-pushes-to-end-federal-income-taxes-for-millions-of-americans/
Although Jeff Bezos stepped down as CEO of Amazon in 2021, he remains the world's fourth richest person at the time of writing. In an interview with CNBC, Bezos spoke about a variety of topics, from taxes and job insecurity due to AI to his assessment of President Trump.
◆ I support the abolition of income tax for the bottom half of the income bracket.
When asked at the beginning of the interview about the growing criticism of billionaires, Bezos replied, 'In a way, this is two economic stories. There are a lot of people in this country who are doing very well, and there are a lot of people who are struggling.'
Bezos then expressed his support for a proposal by some Democrats to completely exempt the bottom half of income earners from income tax. As of the time of writing, the bottom half of taxpayers pay only 3% of federal income tax, and Bezos argues that this percentage should be reduced to 'zero.' He questioned, 'If a nurse earns $75,000 a year, they end up paying more than $12,000 a year in taxes. Does this really make sense?'
Bezos believes that completely eliminating the tax burden would give economically struggling Americans more freedom to take risks and pursue entrepreneurial opportunities. 'They could become the next Steve Jobs,' Bezos said. 'I don't want to reduce income tax, I want to eliminate it.'
◆ Condemning slander against the wealthy
While acknowledging that Americans are facing economic hardship, Bezos criticized politicians for singling out the wealthy. Regarding New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani's use of Kenneth Griffin, a powerful hedge fund founder and billionaire, as an example when advocating for a new tax system, Bezos defended him, saying, 'It's wrong for the mayor to stand in front of Kenneth Griffin's house and treat him like the bad guy. He's not the bad guy, and he's not harming anyone. He's not harming New York, quite the opposite.'
When the interviewer asked whether it would be possible to balance tax cuts for low-income earners with tax increases for high-income earners, Bezos said it was a question worth considering, but he still condemned the resulting slander against the wealthy. Bezos asserted that 'we already have the most progressive tax system in the world,' and argued that America's fiscal problem is not a revenue shortfall, but rather an expenditure surplus.
While it has been pointed out that the wealthy use various methods to evade taxes, Bezos commented, 'Sometimes people say I don't pay taxes, but that's wrong. I pay billions of dollars in taxes.' He also stated that simply increasing the taxes on himself wouldn't solve the problem, saying, 'I can assure you that doubling the taxes I pay wouldn't help teachers in Queens (a borough of New York City) .'
In response to Bezos's statement, Mayor Mamdani said, 'I know that some teachers in Queens would like to disagree with this opinion.'
I know a few teachers in Queens who would beg to differ. https://t.co/JEnRnM2xII
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) May 20, 2026
◆ Denies concerns about job losses due to AI
A survey by the American think tank Pew Research Center revealed that about half of American adults are more concerned than excited about the increasing use of AI in their daily lives. Respondents pointed to the potential negative impact of AI on creativity and relationships, and expressed pessimistic views on its effects on education and employment.
In the interview, Bezos denied concerns that the development of AI technology would reduce human jobs, arguing instead that AI would improve the economy. 'I think those who are against AI are completely wrong. In fact, AI will elevate the status of all these people,' he commented. He also indicated that AI technology should be allowed to develop naturally and should not be hindered by regulations.
◆ Praise for President Trump
Bezos praised President Trump, saying, 'He's more mature and disciplined than he was during his first term,' and 'President Trump has a lot of great ideas and has accomplished a lot. And in many ways his judgment has been correct. He deserves the recognition he deserves,' but he did not elaborate on any specific points.
Bezos also positioned his efforts as bipartisan, claiming to be in contact with former Democratic presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. 'No matter who the president is, business leaders need to have a say in how the government is run. I stand with America, and so should business leaders,' he said.
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