The gossip du jour is the news coverage of Jeff Bezos' affair and the repercussions for his marriage etc. The stories have focused on the role of AMI -National Enquirer as a gossip sheet, its relationship to the current president, and its long history of provocative journalism. There is a whole saga here about how Americans love to hear about people behaving badly and feel morally superior that they did not "stoop" to behaviors they are constantly fantasizing about. No matter that most of us are too busy trying to make a living to have time to try to live out our fantasies. Yes, this publication is a garbage bag. Yes, the stories are sometimes false. And yes, there is a connection to the current president and his political allies. But this is not the important story.
Jeff Bezos is the richest man in the world, and arguably the most successful in exploiting the internet for business. His company has revolutionized the way retail is managed, and he has been dramatically rewarded for being a patient determined and ruthless businessman. By every current measure of economic and social success, he is wildly successful. But it is not enough. Being rich. Having a wife and family. Having the money and time to do whatever he wants to do is not enough. He needs something else. He needs a new relationship. This is not an unexpected turn of plot for a middle-aged American male with economic success. Discarding a previous marriage and finding a new partner is a typical story for many men in his situation, most notably the current president and many of his friends. Did Jeff Bezos choose wisely?
The evidence is starting to say NO! An affair with a younger, still good looking, news anchor (for a Fox station) who is also a pilot, and married to an executive in a talent agency, is an odd choice. For a man with a keen ear for business, didn't some of the details send up warning signals? It now appears that her brother-manager is responsible for sending information to the Enquirer that would be embarrassing to him. Wait a minute! Her brother and manager? Didn't she have to give him that information for him to use it? Where does "kiss and tell" come into this? It appears that Bezos' passion is being exploited for political and financial reasons, and that he was unable to rise above his emotional response to be aware of it.
Does this matter? Doesn't this prove that all middle aged men are fools if they are rich enough to be. Maybe it does. But it also shows something else. Being the richest, most successful man in the world is not enough. Whatever his wife and family meant to him, Bezos appears to have needed to have his emotions/ego stroked in some other way.
The real question in this story is not "who is trying to extort him?" or "what is the political connection with the Kashoggi incident and Washington post". The real question is why the richest most successful internet buinessman in the world is unable to find satisfaction in his life, and makes a choice that is unlikely to make him any happier or more satisfied.
