Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos Spends $42 Million To Build A Clock, Here’s Why

Jeff Bezos, the founder, executive chairman, and former president and CEO of Amazon, has spent $42 million to build a colossal clock, designed to tick for 10,000 years. 

Referred to as “The Clock of the Long Now,” this clock is being constructed within a Texas mountain. It is conceived not only as a feat of engineering but also as a masterpiece of artistry. 

Why is Jeff Bezos spending $42 million to build the clock? What is the purpose of the clock? What to expect from Jeff Bezos? 

The Clock of the Long Now

‘The Clock of the Long Now’ can generate over 3.5 million unique bell chime sequences, one for each day the clock is visited over the next 10,000 years. 

The clock will maintain precise timekeeping throughout this extensive period. It is designed by computer scientist and inventor Danny Hillis. The clock will use the Earth’s thermal cycles to power itself. It will be around 500 feet tall.

Jeff Bezos is spending $42 million to build the clock to highlight that humanity has a bright future. He invested in the clock as a way to foster long-term thinking and responsibility.

Earlier, Jeff Bezos made headlines for showing the exit door to 18,000 employees. Amazon’s ‘pay to quit’ policy had wreaked havoc among employees. 

Jeff Bezos wanted to check how many employees really wanted to stay at the company and how many employees wanted to leave the company for USD 5,000. He had initiated a ‘pay to quit’ program in 2014, wherein he offered up to USD 5,000 to employees to leave their jobs. 

In 2018, Jeff Bezos said that he never liked the idea of “work-life balance.” He suggested the concept of “work-life harmony,” where being happy at home affects employees’ performance at work.