From Bloomberg:
"Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos received France’s highest honor at a private ceremony hosted by President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace on Feb. 16, according to people familiar with the matter.
"Macron, who has been promoting the country’s tech industry, personally handed the world’s third-richest person the Legion of Honor award … Representatives for Amazon declined to comment. The French presidency didn’t reply to repeated requests for comment." Bezos "was formally awarded the Legion of Honor under then President Nicolas Sarkozy over a decade ago but had never picked it up in person."
The story goes on:
"The Legion of Honor, founded by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, is a rare distinction for a foreigner and isn’t necessarily made public when given to a non-French citizen. It may be given to outsiders who have rendered 'cultural or economic services to France, or promoted causes that it defends,' according to the Legion of Honor office’s website."
Bloomberg notes that Bezos "joins Microsoft founder Bill Gates and its former Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer, who were given the award in 2017 and 2011 respectively. Gates received the honor with his now ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, for their work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Previous foreign recipients also include musicians Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney."
- KC's View:
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I wonder what Any Jassy thinks about this. Something along the lines of…
"Sure. He goes to Pais and gets inducted in Napoleon's private club, and I'm here in Seattle trying to keep this behemoth moving forward, and avoiding 'Day Two' syndrome. Connerie!"
