Don’t mess with Jeff Bezos
Why does the National Enquirer want to cut a deal with Amazon’s boss after exposing his affair?
The basic rules of life were long ago specified by singer Jim Croce: you don’t tug on Superman’s cape ... and you don’t mess around with Jeff. Actually, Jim, but in this case Jeff. The private life of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has suddenly become mesmerising. He is the world’s richest man and possibly the richest man ever. Bezos last month announced he is divorcing his wife MacKenzie — inconsequential to Amazon except that in his home state of Washington, the wife gets half the boodle. In this case that would be half of $125bn. But then the gossip mag the National Enquirer published a feature on the Bezos breakup, detailing an extramarital affair with Lauren Sanchez, a news anchor, actress and helicopter pilot. Bezos then accused the magazine’s publisher of trying to blackmail him by threatening to release Gigaba-esque selfies and included e-mails from the publisher detailing the claim, which on the face of it was plain extortion. The deal was that the Enquirer would publish the pic...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.