Jeff Bezos reflects on his approach to compensation during his tenure at Amazon, revealing his decision to maintain a modest annual salary of around $80,000 and saying no to additional equity grants. As a founder with significant ownership, initially exceeding 20% before dilution, Bezos felt he had ample incentive to drive Amazon’s success. He highlights the mindset of founders as "owner-operators," where wealth creation comes from increasing the value of their existing equity, not acquiring mor