Jeff Bezos Criticizes NYC School Spending, Mayor's Economic Policies

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has recently criticised New York City’s public school spending and Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s economic policies. The tech billionaire argued that increased funding alone does not solve the underlying issues. During an interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box, Bezos compared the city’s education system with Amazon’s operations, saying inefficiencies in public administration would not be tolerated in business.

“If we ran Amazon the way New York City runs their school system, your packages would take six weeks to arrive. We’d have to charge you a $100 delivery fee. And then when the package did finally arrive, it’d have the wrong item in it anyway,” Bezos told CNBC. The comments were directed at New York City’s education spending, which Bezos said amounts to around $44,000 per student annually despite declining enrollment and low academic outcomes. He argued that increased spending is being absorbed by administrative structures rather than reaching teachers.

“None of this money is getting to the teachers, I promise you. If you’re charging $44,000 per student, how much of that money do you think is trickling down to teachers? Not much,” Bezos added. After Bezos suggested that increasing taxes on wealthy individuals would not materially help educators, New York mayor Zohran Mamdani responded on social media. He took to the microblogging site X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, “I know a few teachers in Queens who would beg to differ.”

Jeff Bezos criticises ‘tax-the-rich’ approach, calls for root-cause solutions

Bezos also criticised policies focused on raising taxes for wealthy individuals, saying political debates often rely on assigning blame rather than addressing underlying problems.

“What’s happening here is politicians are using the kind of age-old techniques … you know, picking a villain and pointing fingers,” Bezos said, referring to economic inequality as a “tale of two economies.”

“But the problem is that doesn’t solve anything. And so like, if you want to help the group of people who are struggling, you have to figure out real root causes and solutions. And that takes skill,” Bezos noted. The Amazon founder said the company uses a problem-solving approach called “the five whys” to identify root causes rather than assigning blame.

“What we don’t do, because it doesn’t work, is just point fingers and blame people. It might feel good for 10 seconds, but it doesn’t accomplish anything,” he explained. The remarks come shortly after the Bezos family pledged up to $150 million toward early childhood education initiatives in New York City. The contribution includes a $100 million donation through the Jackie Bezos Endowment for Early Childhood and an additional $25 million contingent on matching funds. The funding is linked to broader efforts to support anti-poverty and childcare programmes in New York, as city officials pursue expanded childcare initiatives. Bezos also argued for changes to the US tax system, suggesting lower-income Americans should not be taxed.

“When people are starting out and they’re struggling, stop taxing them. We don’t need it. We live in the wealthiest country in the world,” Bezos said.

“I don’t want to reduce it, I want to eliminate it,” he added.