Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who once joked about blasting Donald Trump into space, congratulated the new president-elect in a tweet Thursday morning.
Congratulations to @realDonaldTrump. I for one give him my most open mind and wish him great success in his service to the country.
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) November 10, 2016
The tech and business communities have displayed a variety of feelings on Trump’s victory. Some are upset, others stunned and some were diplomatic about the outcome. Bezos is taking an open-minded approach to his sometimes rival.
Trump’s first dustup with Bezos came late last year. Bezos bought the Washington Post in 2013 for $250 million. Trump has claimed he used the paper to influence politicians in Washington D.C. and keep them from taxing Amazon.
Trump has alluded to the possibility that Amazon could face antitrust issues under his presidency. In an appearance on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News in May he said: “He’s worried about me — I think he said that to somebody, it was in some article — where he thinks I would go after him for antitrust, because he’s got a huge antitrust problem, because he’s controlling so much. Amazon is controlling so much of what they’re doing.”
Bezos’ congratulatory message strays somewhat from his tone on Trump in the past. After Trump’s December volley, Bezos made the joke on Twitter that he would “reserve him a seat on the Blue Origin rocket,” another venture that the Amazon founder is pursuing with his private fortune. In May, Bezos said Trump’s remarks were “not an appropriate way for a presidential candidate to behave.”
It is unclear if Trump will actually go after Bezos or Amazon as president and what kind of effect this political sea change will have on the company. Amazon’s stock opened down 3 percent Wednesday morning, and is down another 5 percent Thursday.
