President-elect Donald Trump has disclosed plans to have dinner with Amazon Inc. AMZN founder Jeff Bezos.
What Happened: During a Meet the Press interview with Kristen Welker on Sunday, Trump said that following his Nov. 5 win, he got calls from many people.
He also heard from Bezos and added “We're having dinner,” while expressing that people like him more now compared to his first presidential win.
This dinner signifies a potential thaw in their relationship, which has been marked by past disputes over Amazon’s business practices and media coverage by The Washington Post.
For instance, in 2018, Trump accused Amazon of failing to pay its fair share of taxes. A year later, Amazon sued the Trump administration, claiming that the President-elect’s hostility had unjustly influenced the company’s loss of a $10 billion cloud computing contract.
However, In November, Bezos congratulated Trump on his political comeback and victory in the 2024 election.
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Earlier this month, Bezos said he is feeling “very optimistic” about another Trump term, during The New York Times’ DealBook Summit. He also shared that he is investing considerable time and effort to keep Amazon at the forefront of AI innovation.
The Amazon founder also praised Trump’s deregulation efforts, including creating the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk.
Earlier, Musk, who donated millions to Trump's presidential campaign and strongly backed him, accused Bezos of advising investors to divest from Tesla Inc. and SpaceX, predicting Trump’s electoral defeat.
Why It Matters: Bezos isn't the only big tech CEO with whom Trump's past clashes might be turning into a more cordial partnership.
Last month, following the presidential election win, it was reported that Meta Platforms Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg also met Trump at the President-elect's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Previously, Trump had warned of potential legal action against Zuckerberg if he returned to office. He has also accused the Meta CEO of conspiring against him while maintaining a friendly demeanor during visits to the Oval Office.
Earlier it was also reported that Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook’s strategy for cultivating a relationship with Trump during his presidency provided Cupertino. with distinct advantages over its rivals.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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