'Space Travel Promotion Comes First' Bezos Ignores Tornado Deaths [Correspondent Diary]

Jeff Bezos, Amazon Founder, Late Condolences for Tornado Victims
American Football Star Congratulates Blue Origin's Successful Spaceflight First
Cold U.S. Public Opinion... Calls for Wealth Tax May Grow

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, has come under public criticism for inappropriate behavior following the death of workers caused by a massive tornado.

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, shared a photo on Instagram with Blue Origin space travelers shortly after a massive tornado struck the United States causing dozens of deaths, expressing that he is "happy."

On the evening of the 11th at 9 PM, Bezos posted on his Twitter account, "My heart is broken over the loss of employees working in Edwardsville. I will pray for the families of the victims. Amazon will actively support the residents of Edwardsville to recover from this crisis. Thanks to the firefighters who responded to rescue the victims."

At the Amazon warehouse located in Edwardsville, six people died due to the sudden onslaught of a massive tornado on the 10th. The warehouse, roughly the size of a soccer field, suffered significant damage with about half of it collapsing. Approximately 100 fire trucks and ambulances were dispatched to search for the deceased and rescue survivors.

Compared to the dozens of deaths at a candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, the scale of damage was smaller, but it was still an issue that Amazon needed to respond to swiftly.

The appearance of the Amazon warehouse before and after collapse due to tornado damage
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Public opinion in the U.S. has been cold toward Bezos's remarks because they came about a day after Amazon's spokesperson's initial response.

Critics pointed out that the founder of the affected company and the richest person in the U.S. behaved immaturely amid a national disaster.

Bezos's actions were enough to draw criticism. At least 80 people died across six states, and the entire nation was in mourning, with many also losing their lives at the Amazon warehouse. In this situation, Bezos focused solely on promoting the rocket launch of Blue Origin, his space travel company.

Before expressing condolences, on the morning of the 11th, Bezos shared a photo on Instagram showing himself smiling broadly with prospective astronauts, including former NFL player and famous broadcaster Michael Strahan, who were preparing for space travel.

He also wrote, "The crew is happy this morning at the training center." After Strahan successfully completed his space trip and returned to Earth, footage highlighting Bezos happily waving to him was shared.

Netizens expressed anger at Bezos's behavior. One Twitter user criticized the video of Bezos shaking hands joyfully with Strahan upon his return to Earth, saying, "This is truly disgusting. Bezos says nothing about the deaths caused by the tornado. Hope you enjoy your 10-minute space trip."

Another Twitter user edited and posted photos of Bezos with astronauts alongside images of the accident site to criticize his inappropriate behavior.

Debris removal work is underway at the Amazon warehouse destroyed by a tornado. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Bezos's actions could change public opinion regarding the stranded billionaire controversy. One Twitter user claimed, "There are no normal people in the photos, only the rich. Bezos, Warren Buffett, and several other wealthy individuals own more wealth than half of all low-wage workers in the U.S."

Blue Origin's space travel has also been criticized as an exorbitantly expensive trip exclusive to billionaires.

Recently, ESG?Environmental, Social, and Governance?management has become a hot topic in the global business community. This case showed that Bezos is a manager who has forgotten ESG principles.

Although Bezos has stepped down as Amazon's CEO, Amazon and Bezos cannot be separated.

He should have behaved accordingly, but he did not.

Bezos, along with Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, and other top U.S. billionaires, have been criticized for increasing their wealth by receiving stock instead of salary and paying minimal income taxes.

According to ProPublica, Bezos increased his assets by $99 billion (about 110 trillion KRW) from 2014 to 2018, but the federal income tax he paid during the same period was only $973 million (about 1 trillion KRW), less than 1% of his wealth increase.

U.S. President Joe Biden has cited Amazon as an example to argue for higher taxes on the wealthy and to address corporate tax avoidance.

Meanwhile, as of the 12th, according to U.S. media including AP, the confirmed death toll related to the tornado has reached at least 94.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

In Kentucky, where the damage was concentrated, 80 deaths have been confirmed, and the scale of damage is expected to increase as rescue operations continue.

Currently, at least 56,000 households in Kentucky are without power, and over 70,000 people in Tennessee are also experiencing power outages.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.