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Even billionaires enjoy the simple things in life, as evidenced by a viral picture of Jeff Bezos—the second richest man in the world—enjoying some McDonald's over the weekend.
In fact, the first ever job of the Amazon CEO—who's current net worth is an estimated $154 billion—was flipping burgers at his local McDonald's while in high school
Bezos commemorated his first job in a recent post on Instagram and Twitter.
Accompanied with the caption "My first Job. Still the same great burger! Happy Sunday!", Bezos was photographed partaking in the legendary fast-food chain's iconic burger and fries.
Bezos recently shared his experiences working in the McDonald's kitchen to author Cody Teets for her upcoming 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."
Bezos spoke highly of his McDonald's manager, saying he promoted a disciplined work ethic while also maintaining a fun, nurturing workplace.
If Bezos' post was meant to show how in spite of his considerable wealth he was deep down just like anyone else, the largely negative reaction it received suggests his efforts did not succeed.
Many were simply amused or confused by the fact someone as wealthy as Bezos still enjoyed fast food.
They poked fun at the picture and caption.
\u201cWhat's the deal with these successful and rich men's and their obsession with fast food burgers! #JeffBezos #WarrenBuffett #BillGates #McDonalds\u201d— FuturePagan (@FuturePagan) 1661937243
\u201cSometimes I eat @McDonalds just like @JeffBezos, because I can! \ud83d\ude01\u201d— Zamir Shukho (@Zamir Shukho) 1661922636
\u201cThe cost of living crisis even got to Jeff.\u201d— Michael. #ThanksBoris (@Michael. #ThanksBoris) 1661796827
\u201cFurther proof that all the money in the world still cannot purchase taste.\u201d— Arturo Hammer (@Arturo Hammer) 1661789826
\u201che looks miserable like cheer up jeffrey youre worth 155 billion dollars\u201d— harley (@harley) 1661809626
\u201cWow, he's an ordinary guy just like me\u201d— Luke Savage (@Luke Savage) 1661734788
\u201cI've worked at Mc Donald's for 15 years and they still haven't promoted me to CEO of Amazon\u201d— DibCyka (Kendra) \u2615\ufe0f\ud83c\udf44\ud83c\udff4\u26a9\u2640\ufe0f\u26a7\ufe0f\u2642\ufe0f\ud83d\udea9 (@DibCyka (Kendra) \u2615\ufe0f\ud83c\udf44\ud83c\udff4\u26a9\u2640\ufe0f\u26a7\ufe0f\u2642\ufe0f\ud83d\udea9) 1661724134
Others didn't find the post remotely sweet or funny.
Countless people called Bezos out for hypocrisy. They pointed out how someone who knows what it's like to work a minimum wage job shouldn't allow the notoriously unsafe, hostile and dehumanizing working conditions reported in many Amazon fulfillment centers and delivery fleets.
\u201cAwww...that's nice he uses his box for ketchup too, but sadly, he hires slave children to squeeze the ketchup from the packets and feed him the individual fries (not pictured).\u201d— Izita \ud83c\udf39 .xyz (@Izita \ud83c\udf39 .xyz) 1661918413
\u201c@JeffBezos\u201d— Jeff Bezos (@Jeff Bezos) 1661723071
\u201cSo you know what its like to be exploited, then go on to become one of the biggest human exploiters in the world.\n\nPsychopath.\u201d— Curtis Daly \ud83c\udf39\u270a (@Curtis Daly \ud83c\udf39\u270a) 1661789099
\u201cReally hate the implicit lie that Jeff saved his McDonald's money to start a business or something. A lot of wealthy parents sent their kid off to do this kind of labor so they learn work ethic and obviously it doesn't work. If it did he wouldn't treat his employees like chattel.\u201d— Ben Fowler (@Ben Fowler) 1661808749
\u201cLiving the dream. A f***ing big mac for Sunday dinner, a rocket in the back yard, and workers not allowed to go to the toilet.\u201d— Brian Cutts (@Brian Cutts) 1661787559
\u201cJeff Bezos can end world hunger for 15 years and still be the 76th richest person on Earth.\u201d— rafael shimunov (@rafael shimunov) 1661725774
\u201cDo McDonald's employees need permission from their boss to take a piss?\u201d— Possum Reviews (@Possum Reviews) 1661812208
\u201c@JeffBezos But here is you calling the police on Amazon workers feeding each other because you don't give them time to eat. Or pee. Or sleep.\n\nhttps://t.co/Dkoghr6zBx\u201d— Jeff Bezos (@Jeff Bezos) 1661723071
Unfortunately for Bezos, the backlash on his post is among the least of his troubles over the past several months.
Earlier in the year, Bezos outraged residents of Rotterdam when he attempted to dismantle one of the city's 100-year-old bridges to accommodate his 417-foot mega yacht, Y721.
Following the public outcry, the yacht was removed from the shipyard before being completed, leaving the bridge intact.
But Bezos' problems with his and Amazon's public image were far from over.
In addition to receiving continued negative attention for their attempts to prevent their fulfillment centers from unionizing, Amazon has been at odds with the Federal Trade Commission since March of 2021.
Representatives from Amazon claim Bezos was being "harassed" over what began as an investigation into user interfaces on Amazon Prime, believing the investigation had grown too broad and expanded the focus of the investigation beyond only Amazon Prime.