Tesla’s Elon Musk says ‘time to break up Amazon’, fuelling feud with Jeff Bezos

Musk tweeted that monopolies are wrong, as online retailer Amazon.com faces scrutiny from regulators for the increasing size and scope of its business

A prolific tweeter, Musk has been criticised in the past for his posts on the coronavirus outbreak and electric car maker Tesla’s stock

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Elon Musk, founder and chief executive of Space Exploration Technologies Corp, celebrates the successful launch of his company’s Falcon 9 rocket at the Kennedy Space Centre during a post launch event on May 30. Photo: DPA

Published: 7:17am, 5 Jun 2020Updated: 10:45pm, 5 Jun 2020

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk said it was “time to break up Amazon” in a tweet on Thursday, escalating a rivalry with Amazon.com chief executive Jeff Bezos, another billionaire investing in space exploration.

“Monopolies are wrong,” Musk tweeted, while tagging Bezos, the world’s wealthiest man.

Online retailer Amazon is among a number of technology companies being scrutinised by federal regulators and lawmakers for the increasing size and scope of its business.

Musk’s post came in response to a tweet from a writer, who said his book titled Unreported Truths About COVID-19 and The Lockdown was being removed from Amazon’s Kindle publishing division for violating unspecified guidelines.

Amazon.com chief executive Jeff Bezos announces a lunar landing vehicle for the moon, developed by his aerospace company Blue Origin Federation, at an event in Washington in May of last year. Photo: Agence France-Presse

An Amazon spokeswoman said the book was removed in error and is being reinstated. “We have notified the author,” she said in an email.

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