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Jeff Bezos
- Birth: 12 Nov 0964
- Death: —
- Age: 1061 years
- Net Worth: $241.0B USD
- Income Source: Ownership stake in Amazon, ownership stake in Blue Origin, real estate investments, Washington Post ownership
Biography
Jeffrey Preston Bezos, born January 12, 1964, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, grew up in Houston with his mother Jacklyn and stepfather Miguel Bezos, a Cuban immigrant and Exxon engineer. A Princeton electrical engineering and computer science grad (1986), he thrived on Wall Street at Fitel and Bankers Trust before joining D.E. Shaw as a VP. At 30, spotting internet growth, he quit to start an online bookstore from his Seattle garage—naming it Amazon for its "exotic and different" vibe.
Launched July 1995, Amazon sold its first book, Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies. Losses mounted, but revenues soared: $511,000 in 1995 to $1.64 billion by 1999. Bezos went public that year, his stake ballooning. He diversified: Marketplace (third-party sellers), AWS (2006, now cloud kingpin), Kindle (2007), Prime (2005). By 2017, Amazon hit $177 billion revenue; today, it's a $2 trillion behemoth.
Bezos stepped down as CEO in 2021, becoming executive chairman to chase Blue Origin (founded 2000), his space dream. Selling $1 billion+ Amazon shares yearly funds it—New Shepard's 2021 suborbital flight carried Bezos himself. He bought The Washington Post for $250 million in 2013, boosting its digital pivot. Philanthropy via Bezos Earth Fund ($10 billion for climate) and Day One Families Fund underscores his giving—pledging most wealth away.
Divorced from MacKenzie Scott (2019, she got $38 billion), he wed Lauren Sánchez in 2023. Father of four, owner of a $500 million yacht (Koru), and a $165 million Beverly Hills estate, Bezos embodies billionaire excess. At 61, with 9% Amazon stake (~$200 billion), Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket, and AI/cloud bets, he's pivoting from retail to stars. From garage hacker to spacefarer, Bezos redefined commerce—and ambition.
Launched July 1995, Amazon sold its first book, Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies. Losses mounted, but revenues soared: $511,000 in 1995 to $1.64 billion by 1999. Bezos went public that year, his stake ballooning. He diversified: Marketplace (third-party sellers), AWS (2006, now cloud kingpin), Kindle (2007), Prime (2005). By 2017, Amazon hit $177 billion revenue; today, it's a $2 trillion behemoth.
Bezos stepped down as CEO in 2021, becoming executive chairman to chase Blue Origin (founded 2000), his space dream. Selling $1 billion+ Amazon shares yearly funds it—New Shepard's 2021 suborbital flight carried Bezos himself. He bought The Washington Post for $250 million in 2013, boosting its digital pivot. Philanthropy via Bezos Earth Fund ($10 billion for climate) and Day One Families Fund underscores his giving—pledging most wealth away.
Divorced from MacKenzie Scott (2019, she got $38 billion), he wed Lauren Sánchez in 2023. Father of four, owner of a $500 million yacht (Koru), and a $165 million Beverly Hills estate, Bezos embodies billionaire excess. At 61, with 9% Amazon stake (~$200 billion), Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket, and AI/cloud bets, he's pivoting from retail to stars. From garage hacker to spacefarer, Bezos redefined commerce—and ambition.