- Bezos, whose fortune is worth half as much as business rival Musk, flatly denied a report he would marry fiancée Lauren Sánchez the weekend after Christmas in the ski resort of Aspen in a lavish ceremony, disappointing the Tesla CEO.
Elon Musk suggested Jeff Bezos ought to reconsider having a lavish wedding, urging the rival business magnate to go to town on a ceremony that captures the nation’s attention.
Earlier on Sunday, the Washington Post owner blasted as “completely false” a media report claiming he wanted to splurge $600 million on a ceremony after Christmas to celebrate his upcoming marriage to Lauren Sánchez.
“I hope you do hold an epic wedding. It’s nice to know that epic events are happening somewhere, even if one is not present,” wrote Musk in response.
The Tesla tycoon, whose estimated $430 billion fortune is roughly twice the size of Bezos, argued a world where you can find such “amazing events somewhere” is better than one whether they do not happen anywhere.
Whether the Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder genuinely means what he says, however, could be debatable.
While Musk is anything but fond of of Bezos’ ex-wife—noted philanthropist MacKenzie Scott—he isn’t exactly on the best of terms with the Amazon founder, either. The latter’s Blue Origin company has competed with SpaceX for NASA contracts. Bezos is also an early backer of premium EV manufacturer Rivian, a direct rival of Tesla.
Moreover an “epic” wedding as Musk put it may not be the most advisable step in today’s tense political climate. Donald Trump is returning to the Oval Office next month in part because he successfully harnessed a wave of discontentment from everyday Americans struggling to cope with the post-pandemic higher cost of living.
Earlier this month Bezos sought to distance himself from the media’s focus on ranking his personal fortune, preferring to be judged among peers by how much his inventions have made for his fellow shareholders.
One lavish wedding already captured the world's attention this year
Bezos, who separated from Scott in 2019, proposed to Sánchez in May with an engagement ring sporting a pink diamond so large the former newscaster gushed she “blacked out a bit” in an interview with Vogue.
Yet he flatly denied reports that his impending nuptials—allegedly to be held on Dec. 28 in the ski resort of Aspen, Colorado—would cost $600 million.
“This whole thing is completely false,” fumed Bezos. “None of this is happening,”
He was responding to a post by Bill Ackman, in which the billionaire hedge fund manager questioned the validity of the report, first published on Saturday by the Daily Mail.
“This is not credible,” the Pershing Square founder argued. “Unless you are buying each of your guests a house, you can’t spend this much money.”
That’s not quite accurate, however. Mukhesh Ambani, the wealthiest man in India and second-generation owner of conglomerate Reliance Industries, allegedly spent the equivalent of $600 million this year to celebrate his youngest heir marrying the daughter of a pharmaceutical magnate.
The lengthy wedding plans of 29-year-old Anant Ambani to Radhika Merchant captured the headlines for weeks, and not just in their native India. Celebrities and statesmen the world over descended on the event, with Meta CEO and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg spotted attending the pre-nuptials with his wife Priscilla in March.
