Jeff Bezos slams Zohran Mamdani over New York City’s $43 billion school budget and poor results

Jeff Bezos unloaded on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani Wednesday, blasting the city’s massive education spending and comparing the public school system to a catastrophically mismanaged version of Amazon.

The Amazon founder torched the city’s record $43 billion education budget during an appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” arguing that New York taxpayers are pouring staggering amounts of money into schools without seeing meaningful results.

“If we ran Amazon the way New York City runs their school system – your packages would take six weeks to arrive,” Bezos told CNBC anchor Andrew Ross Sorkin.

“We’d have to charge you a $100 delivery fee. And then when the package did finally arrive, it’d have the wrong item in it anyway.”

The billionaire businessman zeroed in on the city’s reported $44,000-per-student spending level, claiming New York spends dramatically more than other major American cities despite declining enrollment and disappointing test scores.

Bezos argued the problem is not a lack of funding but what he described as a bloated bureaucracy swallowing up taxpayer dollars before they ever reach classrooms.

“None of this money is getting to the teachers, I promise you,” Bezos said.

“If you’re charging $44,000 per student, how much of that money do you think is trickling down to teachers? Not much.”

🚨🇺🇸🇺🇬☪️ | BASADO: El fundador de Amazon, Jeff Bezos, humilló al alcalde islámico Zohran Mamdani al exponer su deplorable gestión al frente de la Ciudad de Nueva York, despilfarrando dinero público en sus delirios comunistas.

“Gastan 44 mil dólares por estudiante, un 30% más que… pic.twitter.com/Wu7p5VE8dB

— La Derecha Diario (@laderechadiario) May 20, 2026

The broadside marked one of the sharpest attacks yet from a major business leader against Mamdani’s progressive economic agenda, which has alarmed many wealthy investors and executives since he took office in January.

Mamdani, a democratic socialist whose rise stunned New York’s political establishment, has championed higher taxes on wealthy residents and floated new levies on luxury second homes and high-end property owners.

Bezos pushed back directly against that approach, arguing that even substantially increasing taxes on billionaires would do little to improve classroom conditions for rank-and-file educators.

The tech mogul — whom Forbes estimates is worth roughly $269 billion — pointed to his own tax burden while touting the Bezos family’s recent $150 million pledge toward early childhood education initiatives in New York City.

By contrast, Bezos framed himself as a self-made entrepreneur raised by a teenage mother and Cuban immigrant father, drawing an implicit contrast with critics who have portrayed Mamdani as an inexperienced political newcomer from privilege.

Mamdani quickly fired back online.

“I know a few teachers in Queens who would beg to differ,” the mayor posted on X Wednesday afternoon.

I know a few teachers in Queens who would beg to differ. https://t.co/JEnRnM2xII

— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) May 20, 2026

Jeff Bezos torches Mamdani over $43B poured into mismanaged NYC schools — claims Amazon would be disaster if run same way. Read today’s cover here: https://t.co/PYLcFTB3Br pic.twitter.com/OtH7xXDPlb

— New York Post (@nypost) May 21, 2026