Jeff Bezos was widely criticized for his attempt to appear relatable with a post about McDonald's on social media.
Taking to Twitter over the weekend, the Amazon CEO and multibillionaire shared a photo of him eating a McDonald's burger, which was accompanied by a reminder that the fast-food chain was the location where he onced worked.
"My first job. And still the same great burger. Happy Sunday!" Bezos tweeted. In the photo, he is seen with empty boxes from McDonald's as he finishes a burger.
The post generated hundreds of thousands of likes from people who found it inspirational but also was the subject of criticism and mockery by thousands of others.
"Must suck realizing all the money in the world can’t make you cool or interesting," one Twitter user remarked on Bezos' post.
"Wow. Your parents let you work at McD’s even though they were rich and would later stake your business?" another person commented.
Many others slammed Bezos over allegations of strict bathroom breaks, and other poor working conditions, being enforced at Amazon warehouses.
"How can someone who flipped burgers grow into a man who lives to scale sub-standard working conditions and sleep at night?" a Twitter user questioned.
"You’re proper normal! Just like us mate. Bt it’s great to work for your company!" added YouTuber Jaack.
As the criticism continued to pour in, business reporter Darren Rovell defended Bezos by comparing his wage at the time to his current net worth.
"Jeff Bezos was paid $3.10 an hour for his work at McDonald's as a 16-year-old. Today: Jeff Bezos Net Worth: $155 Billion. McDonald's Market Cap: $188 Billion," he said, according to Newsweek.
Bezos previously recounted how he started working at McDonald’s when he was 16 in 1980 to Cody Teets for her book "Golden Opportunity: Remarkable Careers That Began at McDonald's."
"I was a grill man and never worked the cash registers. The most challenging thing was keeping everything going at the right pace during a rush," he said, according to Business Insider.
Bezos added: "The manager at my McDonald's was excellent. He had a lot of teenagers working for him, and he kept us focused even while we had fun."
Speaking to Fast Company, Bezos also talked about what he learned from his experience there.
"I learned that it's really hard," he said, according to Newsweek. "I was a cook. They wouldn't let me anywhere near the customers. This was my acned-teenager stage. One of the great gifts I got from that job is that I can crack eggs with one hand."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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