It's from reinvesting into the company -- rather than running off with the money. Every company gets to write off development/R&D/employee stock programs/etc. Bezos chose the "long view" of making Amazon a dominant monster rather than settling to be one of many.
That's risky. You wouldn't find a new retail owner IMMEDIATELY deciding to plow every penny into reinvestment on corporate infrastructure all over the nation.
It's really LESS obnoxious to taxpayers than when GE PAID NO TAXES for 10 years because the LEFT gave them about $75 tax credits for every heavy "Energy Star" appliance they made. They had SO MANY tax credit dollars at the end of the year -- they could not SPEND IT ALL.
Or Musk -- where EVERY COMPANY HE OWNS is subsidized by the govt. Tesla, his SPACE program, his hundred of mini-satellite internet system, his boring system, SOLAR PANEL biz, Battery BIZ -- all getting special environmental and infrastructure tax credits.
This is because CONGRESS COLLUDES with these guys and BOTH PARTIES let it happen. Only the Libertarian party has a platform calling for ending this Govt/Corp collusion.
I have no problem with Fed funding of technology or science -- if there isn't an existing PRODUCT or prototypes. But yeah -- anything that you've buying or plan to buy in the next couple years SHOULD NEVER GET TARGETED tax breaks.