A few weeks ago, Jeff Bezos, billionaire founder of Amazon, told the Washington Post staff that their opinion pages would now focus solely on “personal liberties and free markets.” But this shift is not just about ideology or an editorial strategy, rather a calculated move to align with Donald Trump like his fellow billionaires who are attempting to consolidate power.
Bezo stated the assertion that free markets and personal liberties are core tenets of the American way of life and should be celebrated as such. On the surface this is seemingly not much of a story – after all, Bezos does own the Post and can realistically have the team cover whatever he wishes (a fair enough proposition for the $250 million dollars that Bezos paid for it).
Yet, the unofficial but far more likely reason for this sudden shift is that Bezos is attempting to cozy up to the Trump administration and stay off the hit-list that “big-tech” CEOs have so-often occupied since his first term in office.
Coming just months after Bezos personally killed a planned public endorsement of Kamala Harris by the Post in last year’s presidential election, the pieces of the puzzle are not hard to put together.
Following in the footsteps of fellow titans in the tech industry like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, Bezos has rounded out the trio of the three wealthiest men alive who all aspire to stay in the good graces of the president.
In a nation that prides itself on “free markets” and “personal liberties” as Bezos declares, it should not be necessary to adjust company policy to ensure that your values more closely align with an incoming political administration.
Whether you believe it is fear of being in opposition to the most powerful man in the free world or simply dollars and cents that caused this move from Bezos, it is a troubling sign of an escalating problem.
When billionaires feel compelled to align themselves with a political leader for any reason, it should be cause for concern, especially when that political leader is as divisive and unpredictable as Donny boy.
Industry leaders in technology, commerce, social media and news publications are flocking to support Trump’s administration for one reason or another, effectively concentrating power in the hands of fewer and fewer people: the antithesis of the proclaimed “freedoms” that these individuals champion.
Business and politics have long been intertwined and acting like this is a new phenomenon would be naive but this public show of ‘bending the knee’ to Trump from the wealthiest and most powerful amongst us feels like the beginning stages of an American oligarchy.
While public sentiment has long been that the system works to keep the wealthy exactly where they are and vice versa for the poor, it has rarely been so brazen as the first few months of this administration.
Trump has overhauled practically everything in Washington D.C. since his re-election and his billionaire cronies have followed suit, imposing his vision for America in their companies.
Perhaps this is just more of the same, with greedy people making decisions for greed’s sake, but this time feels different.
The “market of ideas” that Bezos believes is underserved with talks of personal freedoms seems to be shrinking with every passing moment and, before we know it, could be closed to anyone who doesn’t have the “right” ideas.
But of course, that’s just one man’s opinion.
Categories: Opinion
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