Are Jeff Bezos and other billionaires really evil just because they’re wealthy?
Our political landscape has often been likened to Veep. Yet on some days a straight-up cartoon feels more fitting. Every memorable cartoon relies on one or more arch‑villains. These billionaire antagonists have spawned millions of jobs, driven down prices, made goods easier to acquire, and transformed how we access information, among other notorious feats.
When I say billionaires, I mean the ultra-rich. Sensible people argue about the best way to design tax rules. Demands to “tax the rich” have long been central to progressive politics. But last week’s Met Gala reminded us there’s something more behind those calls: what looks like genuine animosity or, at least, disgust. What explains this?
As ever, the Met Gala serves as a handy stage for such critique: an extravagant gathering where the wealthiest mingle in dazzling ensembles and, in at least one instance, publicly critique their own relevance. This year the setup felt even more pointed because the event was sponsored by the principal cartoon adversary: Jeff Bezos.
“If Jeff Bezos can earmark $10 million to sponsor the Met Gala, he can afford to contribute his fair share in taxes,” remarked Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D–Mass.) in a comparatively restrained critique. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I–Vt.) offered a sharper assessment:
The reality of American life today: Jeff Bezos, worth $290 billion, spent:
$10 million on the Met Gala
$120 million on a penthouse
$500 million on a yachtMeanwhile, he’s planning to throw 600,000 Amazon workers out on the streets and replace them with robots.
Unacceptable.
— Sen. Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) May 5, 2026
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D–N.Y.) later told comedian Ilana Glazer, who has herself accumulated substantial wealth, that achieving a billion dollars is not truly feasible. “You can garner market power, bend rules, skim labor protections, and underpay workers,” she stated, “but earning that much is not possible.”
The throughline is not simply that they face a higher tax rate; it is the accusation that they are villains. He isn’t paying his “fair share,” he is allegedly displacing workers, and he and his peers are accused of bending or breaking the law.
Reason‘s Christian Britschgi recently argued that this prevailing view distorts economic reality. Yet it remains important to question the notion that wealth inherently makes someone evil, a notion that has gained traction in some circles. Certainly there are wealthy individuals who are morally flawed; however, producing goods that people want does not automatically make someone a villain. Amazon, launched by Bezos, lets people obtain items faster and often cheaper. By last December, the firm employed 1.58 million people. He—our cartoon arch‑villain?
There are additional cases. Sergey Brin and Larry Page opened up vast access to information through Google. It might be how you stumbled upon this piece in the first place. (Thanks.) Steve Jobs essentially placed computers in our hands, enabling closer and more convenient communication with others both nearby and distant. Elon Musk, despite his headlines, helped drive the contemporary electric vehicle revolution and is backing efforts to restore brain function through neural-tech. Why doesn’t that appear in the narrative?
This animosity isn’t limited to the Met Gala. It’s perhaps best illustrated by a video NY Mayor Zohran Mamdani released last month, where he stood on the sidewalk, sneering as he told residents that “today, we’re taxing the rich.” The plan calls for a pied‑à‑terre tax on luxury flats whose owners don’t reside in the city year‑round. Why the sneer? Because Mamdani was standing outside such a unit, gesturing toward its penthouse and publicly shaming its owner, Ken Griffin. There’s a debate to be had about imposing an extra levy on high‑end, partial‑year residences. A government leader displaying such disdain toward a constituent is a different matter altogether. One party seems to have far more audacity, and it isn’t the private citizen.
Griffin remains a key driver of New York’s economy, even as reports indicate he is trimming back in response to the episode. He is also a leading philanthropist, having donated billions over the years. Meanwhile, Bezos recently contributed a $100 million grant to a nonprofit supporting early childhood education in New York. Will Bernie Sanders include that donation among Bezos’s expenditures?
