Jeff Bezos is officially outside the market. Amazon’s founder married his boyfriend, former television anchor Lauren Sánchez, at an abundant ceremony on Friday, June 27, on the private island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, Italy, capturing a multi -day show of wealth, power and controversy.
Sánchez divided Radiant Instagram passenger of herself in a flowing white dress next to Bezos, suitable in tuxedo. The wedding marked the culmination of a multi-day show, which drew 200 famous guests, dozens of private jets, luxury yachts and a lot of social media.
Among the A-list attendees: Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner, Kim and Khloé Kardashian, Barbra Streisand, George and Amal Clooney, and Leonardo DiCaprio, who, in particular, once became the subject of an online self after an awkward red carpet with Sánchez.
But on the streets of the historic city, a different story developed.
The “no space for bezos” reaction
Like Gizmodo before ReportedThe announcement of the location of the wedding led to immediate and organized protests by locals. Under the banner of “no space for bezos”, a dozen Venetian organizations, from advocates from housing to anti-crackers, denounced what they see as their city’s exploitation.
Protesters argue that the wedding, with an estimated price tag north of $ 50 million, exemplifies the forces that make Venice uninhabitable for their own inhabitants: crawling excess, growing housing costs and the constant threat of flooding climate. They staged small-scale demonstrations during the week, dull anti-beos banners at iconic locations. The pressure ultimately forced the couple to move its main reception to the Arsenale, a medieval complex considered safer and less susceptible to protest against floats.
The governor of the city, Luca Zaia, defended the wedding as an economic outbreak, but critics on Earth have shown Amazon’s controversial work practices and ongoing tax disputes as reasons for his care.
Why is this not just a wedding
Bezos’ wedding is a raw showing of power. In the 21st century, tech billionaires are the new royalty, and their weddings were made from facto crowns. They are scrupulously processed PR events designed to project an image of a benevolent, cultivated and almost feudal power.
The pre-wedding invitation, as previously discussed, was a perfect example of this. It kindly requested “no gifts” and instead emphasized the couple’s gifts to three local environmental research. It’s a classic move: Wrap an event of stationary carbon-foot excess in the soft package of eco-philanthropy. The message is clear: we can afford to buy a whole city over the weekend, and we can also allow it to save it.
Finally, the Bezos-Sánchez wedding serves as a powerful symbol of our time, where the logistical power of a technological empire can claim a historical city, where the line between celebrity and Technic Titan have completely blurred, and where even the most extravagant pointers of wealth come with a carefully worded press release.
