Ten years ago, Jeff Bezos was expected to make headlines in Washington.
In 2013, the Amazon founder bought the Washington Post for $250 million. Three years later, he became the owner of the city’s largest mansion, spending $23 million to purchase two mansions fit to host lavish events for the capital’s elite. . His status as the founder of Amazon and innovator at rocket company Blue Origin was expected to help boost his influence within the Belt and Road.
But Bezos, 60, never actually arrived.
During that time, he resigned as Amazon’s chief executive officer, divorced his wife, and went public with his relationship with his now-fiancée, Lauren Sanchez, making him the subject of tabloid headlines. Mr. Bezos only occasionally visits the capital, mostly for glamorous events or company emergencies. He bought the Beverly Hills property for $165 million in 2020, setting a California record at the time, and last year completed construction of a 400-foot-long megayacht to sail around the world. He has since moved to Miami.
In fact, the tech billionaire making headlines in Washington is Elon Musk. Musk, the 53-year-old head of SpaceX, Tesla and are. Tesla and SpaceX were promised $3 billion in payments last year in about 100 different contracts with 17 federal agencies, according to a New York Times analysis.
On Friday, Bezos made it clear that he refuses to get involved in the Washington torrent. The Post has announced that it will not endorse any presidential candidates this year, breaking with 40-year tradition. For many industry giants, navigating the political landscape has become increasingly complex, especially if their companies hold federal contracts or provide other services to the government.
Hillary Rosen, a Democratic political strategist and former Washington editor of the Huffington Post, said of Bezos, “Even the CEO of Amazon, with his enormous regulatory problems, was rarely seen on the street.” . “I don’t know if he intended to be a leader in the business or media industry in Washington, D.C., but he certainly wasn’t.”
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