Jeff Bezos Once Explained How Anyone Can Become a Billionaire: 'Your Chicken Has to Be Good'

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos once challenged Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-N.Y.) argument that billionaires cannot legitimately earn their fortunes.

Jeff Bezos Defends Billionaire Wealth With A Burger Joint Example

During a May 2026 interview with CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin at Blue Origin’s rocket factory in Florida, Bezos responded to Ocasio-Cortez’s statement that no one can earn $1 billion without exploiting workers, abusing market power or breaking rules.

The Amazon executive chairman rejected the premise, illustrating his argument with a hypothetical burger restaurant that starts with 10 employees and gradually expands to 1,000 locations as customers embrace its products.

Bezos cited In-N-Out Burger and Raising Cane’s as examples of businesses that grew through customer demand.

He argued that entrepreneurs create wealth by offering products and services people genuinely value, adding, "If millions of people choose your service, you’re going to end up with $1 billion."

Bezos Calls $10,000 Tax Bill ‘Absurd’

When Sorkin questioned whether employees deserved a greater share of the profits, Bezos highlighted Amazon’s entry-level wages and benefits.

He cited a $23 hourly wage for Amazon’s entry-level workers in Queens, New York, roughly $52,000 annually, along with health care coverage beginning on the first day of employment.

However, Bezos questioned why someone earning that amount should pay more than $10,000 in taxes annually, calling the burden "absurd."

Bezos Challenges Calls to Tax Billionaires More

The discussion followed criticism from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and other lawmakers who argue that billionaires can pay lower effective tax rates than ordinary workers.

Bezos maintained that he pays billions of dollars in taxes and said he would consider paying more if there were a meaningful debate about its impact.

He argued that even doubling his tax payments would not necessarily improve a teacher’s financial situation in Queens.

Bezos also advocated eliminating federal income taxes for the bottom 50% of earners, questioning why the government needs revenue from people with relatively modest incomes.

Bernie Sanders Challenges Bezos With 5% Wealth Tax Proposal

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has pushed back against that argument, supporting a proposed 5% annual wealth tax on billionaires alongside Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).

The Make Billionaires Pay Their Fair Share Act would affect fewer than 1,000 Americans and could generate an estimated $4.4 trillion over a decade, according to Sanders.

He argued that the revenue could fund universal child care, expanded Medicare benefits, higher teacher salaries and $12,000 payments for working families of four.

Bezos currently has a net worth of $371.2 billion, according to Forbes.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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