머스크를 이기기 위해, 베이조스는 트럼프와 손을 잡았다
6205 min
Once bitter enemies, Jeff Bezos and Donald Trump have forged a surprising political alliance — and WSJ’s Dana Mattioli explains how Amazon’s founder strategically cultivated the president’s favor to outmaneuver Elon Musk.
LEARNING TIP
비즈니스 영어에서 “outmaneuver(~을 전략적으로 앞서다)”는 군사 용어에서 비롯된 표현으로, 경쟁자보다 더 영리한 전략을 써서 우위를 점할 때 사용합니다. WSJ 같은 경제 저널리즘에서는 기업인이나 정치인의 경쟁 관계를 묘사할 때 자주 등장하므로, “outmaneuver a rival(경쟁자를 전략적으로 앞서다)”처럼 숙어로 익혀 두세요.
Not long ago, Jeff Bezos and Donald Trump represented one of the most publicly hostile rivalries in American business and politics. During Trump’s first term, the president repeatedly attacked Bezos and his newspaper, The Washington Post, going so far as to nickname him “Bozo” — a deliberate slight designed to belittle the world’s then-richest man. Amazon also faced scrutiny from the administration over its postal contracts and antitrust concerns, making the tension between the two figures feel deeply entrenched.
IDIOMentrenched: ~deeply fixed and difficult to change (깊이 뿌리박힌)The rivalry between the two companies was so entrenched that analysts doubted any reconciliation was possible. (두 회사 간의 경쟁 관계는 너무 깊이 뿌리박혀 있어서 분석가들은 어떠한 화해도 가능하지 않을 것이라고 의심했다.)
Yet by the time Trump returned to the White House for a second term, the dynamic had shifted dramatically. Bezos moved to mend fences with the president, pulling The Washington Post away from overt political commentary, attending Trump’s inauguration, and making a series of high-profile gestures that signaled a willingness to cooperate rather than confront. For a man who once symbolized Silicon Valley-adjacent opposition to Trump, the pivot was striking.
PHRASEmend fences: ~관계를 회복하다, 화해하다After years of public disputes, the CEO traveled to Washington specifically to mend fences with the new administration. (수년간의 공개적 분쟁 끝에, 그 CEO는 새 행정부와 관계를 회복하기 위해 특별히 워싱턴을 방문했다.)
KO트럼프 1기 시절 두 사람은 극도로 적대적인 관계였으며, 트럼프는 베이조스를 공개적으로 조롱하기까지 했다. 그러나 트럼프가 재집권하자 베이조스는 태도를 바꿔 적극적으로 화해 제스처를 취했다. 과거의 갈등을 고려하면 이 변화는 매우 놀라운 것이었다.
Bezos’s courtship of Trump was not purely personal — it was a calculated business strategy. Amazon operates vast government procurement contracts, including lucrative cloud-computing deals through its AWS division with the Department of Defense. Any sustained friction with a sitting president could jeopardize billions of dollars in federal business. Beyond existing contracts, Amazon’s ambitions in satellite internet, healthcare, and logistics all intersect with federal regulation, making White House goodwill a valuable corporate asset.
VOCABprocurement: ~조달, 구매 (특히 정부 계약에서)The company’s defense procurement contracts account for nearly a quarter of its annual government revenue. (그 회사의 국방 조달 계약은 연간 정부 수입의 거의 4분의 1을 차지한다.)
There was also a competitive dimension that made the alliance more urgent. Elon Musk, through his company SpaceX, had become a dominant force in government contracting and had cultivated an extraordinarily close relationship with Trump. Musk’s Starlink satellite network was winning contracts that competed directly with Amazon’s own Project Kuiper. By cozying up to Trump, Bezos was not merely seeking protection — he was actively working to level a playing field that Musk’s political proximity had tilted in SpaceX’s favor.
IDIOMcozying up to: ~~에게 친밀하게 접근하다, 환심을 사다Several tech executives began cozying up to the new administration in hopes of avoiding regulatory crackdowns. (여러 테크 경영진들이 규제 단속을 피하기 위해 새 행정부에 적극적으로 접근하기 시작했다.)
KO베이조스가 트럼프에게 접근한 것은 아마존의 거대한 정부 조달 계약과 연방 규제 환경을 보호하기 위한 냉철한 비즈니스 전략이었다. 특히 일론 머스크가 트럼프와의 밀착 관계를 통해 스페이스X에 유리한 환경을 만들고 있었기 때문에, 베이조스에게 트럼프와의 관계 개선은 경쟁에서 뒤처지지 않기 위한 필수적인 움직임이었다.
Central to Bezos’s strategy was his influence over The Washington Post. By steering the paper away from the sharply critical editorial posture it had maintained through Trump’s first term, Bezos removed a significant source of irritation for the president. The decision was controversial internally, triggering staff departures and public debate about editorial independence, but it served its political purpose. In the transactional world of Trump-era Washington, controlling a major media outlet and choosing not to wield it against a powerful figure was itself a form of currency.
VOCABcontroversial: ~논란이 많은, 이견을 불러일으키는The board’s decision to merge with a state-owned enterprise proved highly controversial among shareholders. (국영 기업과의 합병을 결정한 이사회의 결정은 주주들 사이에서 매우 논란이 많은 것으로 드러났다.)
Analysts note that the Bezos-Trump alliance remains inherently fragile. Trump’s transactional approach to relationships means loyalty is conditional on continued usefulness, and Bezos’s business interests could easily diverge from White House priorities in the future. Nevertheless, the episode offers a clear lesson in corporate political strategy: in a regulatory environment shaped by executive power, even the world’s most powerful entrepreneurs calculate that proximity to political authority is a competitive advantage that cannot be ignored.
VOCABtransactional: ~거래적인, 상호 이익에 기반한 (관계나 태도를 묘사할 때)His transactional approach to diplomacy meant that alliances were maintained only as long as they served immediate interests. (그의 거래적 외교 방식은 동맹이 즉각적인 이익에 부합하는 동안에만 유지된다는 것을 의미했다.)
KO베이조스는 워싱턴포스트의 편집 방향을 바꾸는 것을 포함한 여러 조치를 통해 트럼프의 환심을 샀지만, 이 동맹은 본질적으로 불안정하다. 트럼프의 거래적 관계 방식을 고려하면, 두 사람의 협력은 이해관계가 일치하는 동안에만 지속될 것이다. 이 사례는 행정부 권력이 규제 환경을 좌우하는 시대에 정치적 근접성이 기업 경쟁력의 핵심 요소가 되었음을 보여준다.
Today’s Key Words
오늘의 핵심 단어 및 표현
IDIOM
entrenched
깊이 뿌리박힌
Firmly established and difficult to change, often used to describe long-standing attitudes, rivalries, or systems.
오랫동안 굳어져 바꾸기 어려운 상태. 뿌리 깊은 갈등이나 관행을 묘사할 때 자주 쓰인다.
Entrenched interests in the legacy auto industry slowed the shift to electric vehicles.
기존 자동차 산업의 뿌리 깊은 이해관계가 전기차로의 전환을 늦췄다.
PHRASE
mend fences
관계를 회복하다, 화해하다
To repair a damaged relationship, especially after a period of conflict or disagreement.
갈등이나 불화 이후 손상된 관계를 회복하는 것. 비즈니스 및 정치 맥락에서 자주 사용된다.
The newly appointed CFO spent her first months mending fences with institutional investors.
새로 임명된 CFO는 첫 몇 달을 기관 투자자들과 관계를 회복하는 데 보냈다.
VOCAB
procurement
조달, 구매
The process of obtaining goods or services, especially by a government or large organization through formal contracts.
특히 정부나 대형 기관이 공식 계약을 통해 물품이나 서비스를 구매하는 과정.
The Pentagon’s procurement budget for cloud services exceeded $10 billion last year.
지난해 국방부의 클라우드 서비스 조달 예산은 100억 달러를 초과했다.
IDIOM
cozying up to
환심을 사다, 친밀하게 접근하다
To try to become friendly with someone powerful in order to gain an advantage; often implies calculated or self-serving behavior.
이익을 얻기 위해 권력자에게 의도적으로 친밀하게 접근하는 것. 다소 계산적인 뉘앙스를 포함한다.
The startup was criticized for cozying up to regulators rather than competing on innovation.
그 스타트업은 혁신으로 경쟁하는 대신 규제 당국에 환심을 사려 한다는 비판을 받았다.
VOCAB
controversial
논란이 많은, 이견을 불러일으키는
Causing public disagreement, debate, or strong opposing opinions, especially regarding a decision or policy.
특정 결정이나 정책에 대해 공개적인 논쟁이나 강한 반대 의견을 불러일으키는 상태.
The merger’s controversial terms prompted shareholder activism and regulatory review.
논란이 많은 합병 조건은 주주 행동주의와 규제 검토를 촉발했다.
VOCAB
transactional
거래적인, 상호 이익에 기반한
Relating to or characterized by exchange of value; in business or politics, describing relationships based on mutual benefit rather than loyalty or ideology.
가치 교환을 바탕으로 한 관계나 태도. 정치나 비즈니스에서 충성이나 이념보다 즉각적인 상호 이익을 우선시하는 방식을 묘사한다.
Investors warned that the firm’s transactional culture was undermining long-term partnerships.
투자자들은 그 회사의 거래적 문화가 장기적인 파트너십을 약화시키고 있다고 경고했다.