The 56-year-old billionaire will face a grilling from politicians investigating concerns that major U.S. technology companies have violated law promoting fair competition, and will testify via video link alongside CEOs from Facebook, Google and Apple.
The hearing—broadcast via livestream—is being led by the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law, which has been investigating the firms for a year. Bezos’ statement was made available today on the House Judiciary website.
“Of course, this great nation of ours is far from perfect,” he will continue. “Even as we remember Congressman John Lewis and honor his legacy, we’re in the middle of a much-needed race reckoning. We also face the challenges of climate change and income inequality, and we’re stumbling through the crisis of a global pandemic.
“Still, the rest of the world would love even the tiniest sip of the elixir we have here in the U.S. Immigrants… see what a treasure this country is—they have perspective and often see it even more clearly than those of us who were lucky enough to be born here.”
Based on his opening statement, Bezos has the statistics and research to brush aside many accusations of antitrust violations by the congressional members.
“I know what we can do today when we’re nearly a million. I love garage entrepreneurs, I was one. But, just like the world needs small companies, it also needs large ones. There are things small companies simply can’t do. I don’t care how good an entrepreneur you are, you’re not going to build an all-fiber Boeing 787 in your garage.”
How to watch: The congressional hearing will stream today at 12 p.m. ET (4 p.m. UTC) and is available to watch on the Judiciary Committee website and YouTube.
