Richard Feidler

And then...

Why institutions are so weak in Russia because they're so new.

And then American institutions like American universities, American law firms, American courts start caving to this aspiring tyrant.

I had this exact conversation with somebody else.

I think I can quote him.

Gary Kasparov, the chess champion, called me at one point and said, I think so-and-so has so-and-so in his pocket.

I was like, well, why?

He's so wealthy.

And Kasparov said, no, nobody ever has enough money.

And wealth does not inoculate you against wanting more.

But what I'm seeing with Bezos is so familiar.

Because when Russian oligarchs owned media...

And I worked for a couple of those oligarchs.

And one in particular, I was editing a magazine that he owned and I would meet with a representative of his every once in a while.

And I remember there was a political campaign and I was meeting with him and he was like, you know, you have full independence.

We totally guarantee your editorial independence.

And then I met with him like two weeks later and he said, they closed off the road to one of our factories.

I said, I'd never imagined they could do that.

But if they chose off the road, then we can't take stuff in and out, and that's it.

And basically, the whole media enterprise collapsed in the next few weeks.