People Think Jeff Bezos' Laugh Has Become More Villainous As He's Grown Richer
A lot has changed for Jeff Bezos in the past few years: he became the richest person in the world, stepped down as CEO of Amazon and went into space. And then there's his laugh—which some people think has evolved over time, and not for the better.
A video of the billionaire laughing during various interviews and appearances has gained almost 2 million views since it was posted on TikTok three days ago by an account called @ceo_jeff_bezos_official.
"Has Jeff Bezos' laugh changed as he's gotten richer?" asks the on-screen caption.
The compilation of Bezos clips was made by a YouTube user named Baris Aktas and first published in November 2020. It has been watched more than 3.8 million times on YouTube.
Some of the earlier clips even show Bezos with a full head of hair. The footage is accompanied by screengrabs of articles and reports about various milestones in the entrepreneur's life, such as when Amazon reached a market capitalisation of $1 trillion, when Bezos became the world's richest person and so on.
For TikTok viewers, however, what really stands out is how his laugh has become more intense over the years, with many likening him to a supervillain.
"What in the Dr. Evil is this?" asked one TikToker.
"Even his laugh sounds rich," wrote another.
"Dude's becoming a villain," posted a third TikTok user.
Bezos' laugh also caught the attention of the internet on July 20, when he returned from his space voyage. The 10-minute flight reached an altitude of around 66 miles, roughly 13 miles higher than Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic trip nine days earlier.
In 2017, Bezos pledged to sell around $1 billion in Amazon stock every year to fund his space exploration company Blue Origin. In fact, he has sold far more in recent times. Earlier this year he sold $2 billion of shares in just a few days.
After being asked in a post-flight press conference on July 20 if he wanted to explore the cosmos again, he responded, "Hell yes"—along with a huge cackle. Unsurprisingly, this inspired endless memes.
As well as Dr. Evil from the Austin Powers movies, Bezos is frequently compared to another bald billionaire, Lex Luthor. And for TikTok creators trying to present the entrepreneur as a supervillain, comedian Bo Burnham has provided the perfect soundtrack. His song Bezos I, which is now a popular audio on the app, urges the Amazon founder to destroy his rivals and "drink their blood"—and presumably laugh while doing it.
