Jeff Bezos on mute during US Congress tech antitrust hearing

You’d think the world’s richest man would have ascended beyond the tech issues plaguing us mere mortals, but apparently not.

The unquantifiably wealthy Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has shown he’s really just like the rest of us plebs after making an embarrassing tech blunder while testifying in front a US Congressional hearing into anti-competitive practices by tech companies.

Mr Bezos was called to testify alongside Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, Apple boss Tim Cook and Google head Sundar Pichai at antitrust hearings examining the size and behaviour of big tech companies in an effort to determine whether they’ve engaged in anti-competitive practices.

Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg, Google head Sundar Pichai, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Picture: AFP

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While the other three (particularly Mr Zuckerberg) are veterans of Congressional testimony, it was to be Mr Bezos’ first time speaking in front of Congress (though he didn’t have to enter the actual building, with hearings being held virtually due to the pandemic).

But despite founding one of the world’s biggest tech companies, a common tech mistake prevented him from speaking to anyone outside the room he called in from.

“Mr Bezos … you’re on mute,” Florida Republican Greg Steube told the world’s richest man when no sound accompanied Mr Bezos answer to “yes or no” questioning about whether the Chinese government was stealing technology from US companies.

“I’m sorry,” Mr Bezos said, unmuting himself.

“I’ve heard many reports of that, I haven’t seen it personally but I’ve heard many reports of it,” Mr Bezos eventually answered.

“Certainly there are knock-off products if that’s what you mean and there are counterfeit products and all of that,“ he clarified, but added he didn’t have any first hand knowledge of Chinese government involvement.

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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies via videolink. Picture: Mandel Ngan/AFP

Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg was most adamant of the four in his answer.

“I think it’s well documented that the Chinese government steals technology from American companies,” Mr Zuckerberg said.

Mr Cook said he did not “know of specific cases where we have been stolen from by the government”.

“So you don’t believe that the Chinese government is stealing technologies from US companies or are you just saying not from yours?” Mr Steube pushed.

“I’m saying I know of no case of ours where it occurred, I can only speak to first hand knowledge,” he said, a sentiment immediately mirrored almost verbatim by Google head Sundar Pichai.

“Congressman, I have no first hand knowledge of any information stolen from Google,” he said.

Mr Bezos’ mistaken muting satisfied many watchers of the hearing who were waiting for the technology that facilitated it to provide some comic relief from the proceedings themselves.

"Mr Bezos, you're on mute." I told you there's always one!

— Jen Dudley-Nicholson (@jendudley) July 29, 2020

Bezos on mute. Tech CEOs, they’re just like us.

— Joanna Stern (@JoannaStern) July 29, 2020

it finally happened...

"Mr. Bezos I believe you're on mute"

— Kurt Wagner (@KurtWagner8) July 29, 2020

“Mr Bezos, you’re on mute” I can finally relate to the richest man on earth! #BigTechHearing pic.twitter.com/C2YShVMeGl

— Luke Addis (@mrlkdds) July 29, 2020

While we can all enjoy mocking Mr Bezos for the moment, his answer on the topic of stolen technology is particularly interesting given it’s one of the very things his company has been accused of doing.

Antitrust investigations in the US and the EU have questioned Amazon’s dual role as a marketplace and as a seller on said marketplace.

Reports last year alleged the company’s algorithm preferenced its own private brand duplicates of popular products ahead of the real McCoys in product searches.