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Jeff Bezos, founder and chief executive officer of Amazon.com Inc., listens during an Economic Club of Washington discussion in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos stunned everyone with his revealing post accusing National Enquirer of extortion and blackmail, but analysts covering the biggest online retailer don’t really care and believe the swirling controversies won’t affect his ability to lead the Internet retailing and cloud software juggernaut.
Bezos, Amazon’s single largest shareholder and the world’s richest man, revealed in a personal online post Thursday night that the Enquirer allegedly tried to blackmail him, showing emails threatening to publish nude selfies and details of his extramarital affair.
“At the end of the day, we get back to the fundamentals of the company, irrespective of what executives are doing,” said Ron Josey, internet analyst at JMP Securities. “I would be surprised if it had a negative impact on Amazon. It’s such a large business with a lot of different opportunities and operation. The way it’s set up with leadership across retail and AWS and the businesses underneath with logistics and advertising… there’s a lot of support here.”
“I don’t think the allegations have a direct line into the fundamentals of Amazon,” added Anthony DiClemente, internet analyst at Evercore ISI. “Certainly from a public relations standpoint, I don’t think it’s ideal. When you look at the fundamentals, it’s hard to imagine it will have a negative impact.”
The personal woes for Bezos began when he announced the plans to divorce his wife of 25 years on Jan.9, leaving the whole industry speculating how it could impact Amazon shareholders and Bezos own 16 percent stake. Later the online retailer on Jan. 31 reported mixed fourth-quarter earnings and issued weak guidance.
