https://www.npr.org/2021/07/20/1018414444/bezos-landed-thanked-amazon-workers-and-shoppers-for-paying-gave-away-200-millio

Moments after returning from the edge of space, Jeff Bezos thanked the Blue Origin team that made his flight possible. He also thanked the Texas town of Van Horn, which hosted Tuesday's launch. And then he said this:

"I want to thank every Amazon employee and every Amazon customer, 'cause you guys paid for all this. Thank you from the bottom of my heart very much."

The Internet responded with an incredulous gasp.


In the video, Bezos' comment appears earnest and elicits chuckles from the press-conference audience. But as the Earth's wealthiest person — a centibillionaire of extreme proportions, worth over $200 billion — the man has been under an intense microscope for his attitudes toward America's gaping wealth divide.

Amazon now employs nearly 1.3 million workers, the majority of them scanning and packing goods in warehouses. In 2018, Amazon was among the first major corporations to raise its starting wage to $15 an hour and its PR team has fought the perception of the company as a low-wage employer. In 2020, the company reported that its median wage was $29,007 a year.