Jeff Bezos is an American computer engineer, investor, media proprietor, and entrepreneur. Bezos is the executive chairman and founder of Amazon, where he served previously as the CEO and president.
As of September 2021, he has a net worth of almost $200.1 billion. Bezos is one of the top wealthiest people in the world.
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Early Life
Jeffrey Preston Jorgensen, commonly known as Jeff Bezos, was born on January 12, 1964, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
He is the son of Theodore Jorgensen and Jacklyn Gise. At the time of Jeff’s birth, his mother was only 17 years old and a high school student. Meanwhile, his father was only 19 years old.
After finishing high school, Jeff’s mother went to a night school while bringing him along as a baby. Theodore and Jacklyn got divorced. Then, in April 1968, his mother married Miguel “Mike” Bezos, a Cuban immigrant.
After the wedding, Mike Bezos adopted Jeffrey Jorgensen and legally changed his surname to Bezos.
From 4th to 6th grade, Jeff went to River Oaks Elementary School in Houston. According to his family, Jeff showed scientific interests and proficiency in technology.
Jeff went to Miami Palmetto High School. During his high school days, he worked as a short-order line cook during the breakfast shift at McDonald’s.
Jeff went to the Student Science Training Program at the University of Florida. He was a valedictorian in his high school, a Silver Knight Award winner, and a National Merit Scholar in 1982.
During his speech at his graduation, Jeff told the audience that he dreamed of the day when humanity will colonize space.
Jeff graduated summa cum laude in 1986 from Princeton University. He has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Degree in computer science and electrical engineering. He had a 4.2 GPA.
Jeff was also a member of the Phi Beta Kappa. During his college days, Bezos was a member of the Quadrangle Club. It is one of the 11 eating clubs of Princeton University.
Aside from that, Jeff was elected to Tau Beta Pi and was the president of the Princeton Chapter of the SEDS (Students for the Exploration and Development of Space).
Bezos as an Entrepreneur
Amazon provides a range of services and products to clients around the globe after growing from its start as a bookseller.
These products and services helped the company to become the fastest company ever to reach $100 billion in yearly sales. Amazon achieved this milestone in 2015.
Nowadays, Amazon holds a valuation of around $1.7 trillion. In 2020, the company achieved record 4th-quarter revenue surpassing $125 billion.
In May 1997, Amazon issued an IPO. However, Jeff Bezos still retains a 10.3% stake in the company.
Jeff cashed out $10 billion in Amazon stock in 2020 and another $5 billion in May 2021. According to him, he did this to fund other projects that he says he will focus on.
After Jeff bought The Washington Post in 2013 for $250 million, he became one of the biggest players in the news industry.
According to CNBC, Jeff also bought Souq.com in March 2017 for $580 million. Souq.com is a Dubai-based online retailer. This provided him the chance to expand Amazon to the Middle East.
Jeff also bought the Whole Foods grocery store for $13.7 billion in 2017. This provided an opportunity for Amazon to improve Amazon Fresh, its food delivery service.
Jeff also founded Blue Origin, a rocket company. The company is developing reusable rockets to transport people to and from space.
On July 20, 2021, Jeff went to space as a part of the first crewed flight of the rocket ship manufactured by Blue Origin called New Shepard.
Jeff Bezos Real Estate
Jeff spent $23 million in 2016 to buy the 27,000-square-foot former Textile Museum in Kalorama. This property included two historic mansions that are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Even though he spent a lot of money on this property, the main residence for Jeff stays in Washington state.
The main house of Jeff is located in the Seattle suburb of Medina. It is a 29,000-square-foot compound not far from the headquarters of Amazon.
At first, it was only a 13,000-square-foot house. However, his property underwent a $28 million renovation to change it into an expansive oasis.
Jeff bought a 9-acre estate in Beverly Hills, California in February 202 for $165 million. According to reports, it’s a record sale for a private residence in Los Angeles.
Jeff also owns a 30,000-acre ranch outside of West Horn, Texas.
Jeff Bezos Total Net Worth
According to an SEC filing in August 2021, Bezos owns around 11% of Amazon. It is the biggest online retailer in the world.
Jeff also owns Blue Origin, a space exploration company. It is quite hard to determine a valuation for Blue Origin since it has a unique strategy.
Aside from that, Jeff is the sole shareholder of the company and he has no intentions of selling it. At a 2014 conference in Washington, the director of Blue Origin said that Jeff had invested at least $500 million.
In April 2017, Jeff said that he funds the enterprise via the sale of around $1 billion a year of Amazon stock. Since 2002, Jeff has sold around $20 billion of Amazon shares.
In August 2013, Bezos spent $250 million to buy the Washington Post.
Jeff also committed $2 billion in 2018 to social issues. He also made a pledge in February 2020 to donate $10 billion to help fight the negative effects of climate change.
Jeff donated shares worth around $680 million in November 2020.
As of 2021, Jeff Bezos has a net worth of $200 billion. He is also one of the wealthiest men in the world.
With a net worth of $200 billion, this makes him the wealthiest person alive. Unfortunately, he lost around $36 billion of his wealth as a result of his divorce from McKenzie Bezos.