Memes Lose Another Target As Jeff Bezos Steps Down From Amazon

Ally Perry • Writer and Editor

May 27, 2021 1:00 PM EDT

It's the end of an era for big business and the memes that love to satirize it. It was confirmed yesterday that Jeff Bezos would step down as Amazon CEO this July, with an expectation he would focus on his other projects.

As famous for his tax-dodging as he is his online empire, his unavoidable presence in the lives of almost everyone in Western society has made him a very memeable man. In fact, even his appearance has been compared to that of the actual Meme Man. Combining a mysterious high profile with a penchant for headline-making unethical business practices, his impact has left plenty of room for dystopian punchlines.

Jeff Bezos occupies a peculiar place in the hierarchy of memeable billionaires. He's not desperate to be cool in a way that draws attention to Elon Musk, and he's too proud for the nerdy false modesty of someone like Bill Gates. Although he's pretty good at giving off sinister robot vibes, nobody does that better than the Zuck himself. Unlike his peers, the focus is less on his public persona and more about the cold hard cash.

As a result, the content in his orbit often focus on the corporation as opposed to the individual, such as its working conditions or anti-union stance. However, there has been a longstanding side hustle in memes about the man, too. You don't get to be that rich without letting the rest of us have a virtual tomato throwing contest, those are the rules.