This text initially appeared on Enterprise Insider.
Jeff Bezos is among the most recognizable names in enterprise.
The 59-year-old tech titan labored at a hedge fund earlier than he left to begin Amazon as a web-based bookseller, finally rising it into one of many world’s largest firms by income. He is additionally based area tourism firm Blue Origin, which has flown him to the sting of area.
He is a fixture on the planet’s wealthiest checklist; at the moment, Bezos is the third-richest individual on the planet with a internet price of $158 billion, based on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
With all of his wealth, Bezos has made some splashy purchases. He is the Twenty fourth-largest landowner within the US with 420,000 acres, based on the 2022 Land Report, with an actual property portfolio boasting mansions in Hawaii, California, Florida, and extra. Bezos additionally owns the world’s largest crusing yacht, a 417-footer that price an estimated $500 million.
From his first job flipping burgers at McDonald’s to constructing Amazon right into a trillion-dollar firm at one level, this is a have a look at Jeff Bezos’ life and profession.
Allana Akhtar and Avery Hartmans contributed to an earlier model of this story.
Jeff Bezos’ mother, Jackie, was a teen when she had him on January 12, 1964.
Jeff Bezos along with his father, Miguel “Mike” Bezos. Kevin Mazur/Getty Photos for Statue Of Liberty-Ellis Island Basis
She had lately married Cuban immigrant Miguel Bezos, who later adopted Jeff.
Jeff did not be taught that Miguel, who typically goes by Mike, wasn’t his actual father till he was 10 years previous, however he advised Wired he was extra fazed about studying he wanted to get glasses than he was in regards to the information.
In 1968, his mom advised his organic father, Ted Jorgensen, who beforehand had labored as a circus performer, to remain out of their lives.
When creator Brad Stone interviewed Bezos’ organic father for his 2013 ebook, “The Every thing Retailer,” Bezos’ dad had no thought who his son had turn into.
Bezos confirmed indicators of brilliance from an early age.
When he was a toddler, he took aside his crib with a screwdriver as a result of he needed to sleep in an actual mattress, based on an account within the ebook “The Every thing Retailer.”
From ages 4 to 16, Bezos spent summers at his grandparents’ ranch in Texas, doing issues like repairing windmills and castrating bulls.
Bezos stated he would assist vaccinate cattle, repair gear, and do different chores whereas at his grandparents. AP Photograph/Richard Drew through BI
Many years later, Bezos bought his personal land in Texas. His acreage is used because the launch website for Blue Origin rockets.
Bezos’ first job was cooking burgers at a McDonald’s in Miami.
Bezos turned fascinated about automation throughout his time at McDonald’s. Joe Raedle/Getty Photos through BI
Bezos described the gig at McDonald’s as “actually arduous” in a 2001 interview with Quick Firm.
“They would not let me wherever close to the purchasers. This was my acned-teenager stage. They have been like, ‘Hmm, why do not you’re employed within the again?'” Bezos stated.
Bezos has cited his grandfather, Preston Gise, as an inspiration.
Bezos stated his grandfather was an clever, quiet man. AP Photos through BI
At a graduation tackle in 2010, Bezos stated Gise taught him, “it is tougher to be variety than intelligent.”
As a baby, Bezos fell in love with reruns of the unique “Star Trek” and have become a fan of later variations too.
Bezos’ curiosity in area goes means again. Paramount Footage through BI
He even thought-about naming Amazon MakeItSo.com, a reference to a line from Captain Jean-Luc Picard, based on the ebook “The Every thing Retailer.” Bezos additionally thought-about naming Amazon Cadabra.
In 2016, Bezos even filmed a cameo in a “Star Trek” film.
At his South Florida highschool, Bezos stated he needed to be a “area entrepreneur.”
Bezos’ area firm known as Blue Origin. Getty Photos / Blue Origin through BI
In class, Bezos would inform lecturers that “the way forward for mankind is just not on this planet.”
After all, he is made that dream a actuality: He now owns area exploration firm Blue Origin.
“I do assume we’ve got all our eggs in a single basket,” Bezos stated based on a Wired interview in 1999.
To keep away from spending a summer season flipping burgers at McDonald’s, Bezos and his highschool girlfriend began a summer season camp.
The identify of Bezos’ summer season cap was Dream Institute. Kim Kulish/Getty photos through BI
Dream Institute, an academic summer season camp for youths, targeted on science, math, and studying.
The camp had six youngsters who every paid $600 for the session — although two of them have been Bezos’ siblings. “The Lord of the Rings” sequence was required studying, and science classes targeted on fossil fuels and area, based on the 1999 Wired article.
Upon graduating highschool in 1982, Bezos matriculated at Princeton College, the place he majored in laptop science.
Princeton College. John Greim / Getty Photos through BI
Upon commencement, he turned down job affords from Intel and Bell Labs to hitch a telecommunications startup known as Fitel, based on the ebook “The Every thing Retailer.”
After he give up Fitel, he went to Bankers Belief the place he labored as a product supervisor.
Bezos labored at Banker’s Belief for about two years. Karl Baron/Flickr through BI
Whereas at Bankers Belief, Bezos targeted on promoting software program to pension-fund purchasers.
He left Banker’s Belief after two years for hedge fund D. E. Shaw.
D.E. Shaw was based by David Shaw, pictured. D.E. Shaw through BI
He turned a senior vp after solely 4 years, based on a Wired interview.
In the meantime, Bezos was taking ballroom dancing lessons as a part of a scheme to extend what he known as his “girls move.”
Bezos’ had an fascinating relationship technique. Lisi Niesner/Reuters through BI
The time period was a play on Wall Road’s “deal move” and referred to the variety of alternatives he needed to meet girls.
He ended up assembly his future spouse, MacKenzie Scott Tuttle at work.
AP through BI
MacKenzie Scott Tuttle was a D.E. Shaw analysis affiliate. The pair married in 1993 and so they went on to have 4 youngsters collectively.
By 1994, Bezos’s eye was on the web, after studying in regards to the internet’s immense development in a single yr.
Paul Falardeau through BI
This quantity astounded him, and he determined he wanted to seek out some approach to make the most of its fast development. He made a listing of 20 doable merchandise to promote on-line and determined books have been the best choice, based on “The Every thing Retailer” ebook.
He determined to go away D.E. Shaw — a steady and profitable job — in 1994 to begin what would turn into Amazon.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is silhouetted throughout a presentation of his firm’s new Hearth smartphone at a information convention in Seattle, Washington June 18, 2014. REUTERS/Jason Redmond through BI
His boss on the agency, David E. Shaw, tried to steer Bezos to remain, however Bezos was already decided to begin his personal firm. Supply: Wired
MacKenzie and Jeff flew to Texas to borrow a automobile from his father, after which they drove to Seattle, which might turn into Amazon’s headquarters.
Bezos labored on his marketing strategy whereas the couple have been driving throughout the nation, based on Wired. Sara Jaye/Getty Photos through BI
Bezos was making income projections within the passenger seat the entire means, although the couple did cease to observe the dawn on the Grand Canyon.
Bezos began Amazon.com in a storage with a potbelly range.
Bezos labored out of the storage of a rented home in Bellevue, Washington. Mike Segar/Reuters through BI
He held most of his conferences on the neighborhood Barnes & Noble — which might quickly turn into a competitor.
Within the early days, a bell would ring within the workplace each time somebody made a purchase order.
AP Photograph/Andy Rogers through BI
Amazon’s workers would collect to see if anybody knew the client.
Nevertheless it took only some weeks earlier than it was ringing so typically that the corporate put an finish to the bell, based on the ebook “The Every thing Retailer.”
Within the first month of its launch, Amazon offered books to individuals in all 50 states and greater than 45 completely different international locations.
Frank Micelotta/Getty Photos through BI
In 1997, lower than three years after it was based, Amazon went public on Could 15.
When the dot-com crash got here, analysts known as the corporate “Amazon.bomb.” Nevertheless it weathered the storm.
The dot-com bust did not kill Amazon. Mario Tama/Getty Photos through BI
The web site ended up being one of many startups that wasn’t worn out.
Amazon has now gone past promoting books to providing virtually every little thing you’ll be able to think about.
Amazon has a whole lot of success facilities all over the world. Shutterstock through BI
The retailer affords, home equipment, clothes, groceries, toiletries, and even cloud computing providers.
Within the early days, Bezos was stated to be a demanding boss.
Bezos wasn’t at all times the simplest individual to work with. Reuters through BI
Bezos may explode at workers, and rumors circulated that he employed a management coach to assist him tone it down. He additionally reportedly gave sarcastic responses when he was upset.
At one level, Bezos banned PowerPoint displays at Amazon.
Bezos Thomson Reuters through BI
As a substitute, Bezos required his workers to show in papers on their proposals. This, he believed, would encourage crucial pondering.
Bezos can be identified for making a frugal firm tradition.
An Amazon workplace. Enterprise Insider
This contrasts with different huge tech companies, which provide free meals and perks.
Bezos advised Enterprise Insider in 2014 that Amazon did provide nice facilities to its workers, however they simply weren’t the identical as different tech firms.
Greater than 20 years after going public, Amazon now has a market cap of $1.4 trillion.
Amazon has turn into one of many largest firms on the planet. Alex Wong/Getty Photos through BI
Amazon is among the world’s 5 largest public firms.
His time main Amazon was not with out controversy.
Amazon has come underneath the highlight many instances. AP/Pablo Martinez Monsivais through BI
Through the COVID-19 pandemic, Amazon noticed a surge in demand as extra individuals have been compelled to buy on-line. However the firm confronted criticism over its therapy of staff, who stated the corporate paid little consideration to their well being and security at its success facilities nationwide.
Amazon supply drivers, who’re contractors employed by third-party firms, have additionally spoken out in regards to the calls for of their jobs. Some drivers say Amazon’s emphasis on metrics has compelled them to use their supply vans as bogs or sacrifice security to ship packages on time.
Amazon has confronted antitrust considerations, significantly over its therapy of third-party sellers on its platform. Bezos and different tech CEOs have been known as to testify earlier than Congress in 2020.
He is additionally gotten wealthy as an early investor in Google
Google cofounders Larry Web page, left, and Sergey Brin, proper. AP through BI
Bezos invested $250,000 in Google. That translated to three.3 million shares when the corporate went public in 2004.
Immediately, that will be price greater than $400 million. Bezos hasn’t stated whether or not he stored any of his inventory after the preliminary public providing.
Regardless of his excessive internet price, Bezos had the identical annual base wage for many years whereas he was CEO: $81,840.
Safety and journey prices for Bezos totaled some $1.6 million in 2016. Drew Angerer/Getty Photos through BI
His annual whole compensation for a few years exceeded $1 million owing to prices associated to safety and enterprise journey.
In July 2017, Bezos turned the world’s richest individual for the primary time.
Invoice Gates, left, and Jeff Bezos, proper. Getty Photos through BI
He momentarily surpassed Microsoft founder Invoice Gates with a internet price of greater than $90 billion.
Immediately, Bezos is price $157 billion, and he stated he’ll give most of his wealth to charity.
Bezos has given to numerous causes. REUTERS/Abhishek N. Chinnappa through BI
A few of his extra notable contributions embrace pledging $10 billion to combat local weather change by way of his Bezos Earth Fund, donating $200 million to the Smithsonian’s Air and Area Museum, and pledging $100 million in direction of restoration efforts on Maui, the place he owns a $78 million dwelling, following the catastrophic wildfires.
However he is additionally spending his cash on different enterprise pursuits.
Amazon was not concerned within the cope with The Washington Put up. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Photos through BI
In August 2013, Bezos purchased The Washington Put up for $250 million.
And he is spent an unknown quantity on the personal area tourism firm Blue Origin.
Bezos made historical past along with his rocket firm. Blue Origin through BI
The corporate made historical past in 2015 when it efficiently launched a reusable rocket.
The rocket, known as New Shepard, traveled to an altitude of 62 miles.
Bezos’ curiosity in flying has gotten him into hassle up to now.
Bezos cheated demise in 2003. LINDSEY WASSON/Reuters through BI
In 2003, Bezos virtually died in a helicopter crash in Texas whereas scouting a website for a test-launch facility for Blue Origin.
Over time, Bezos has additionally constructed fairly the actual property portfolio.
Jeff Bezos owns every kind of properties. Stephen Brashear/Getty through BI
He’s the nation’s Twenty fourth largest landowner with 420,000 acres.
In January 2017, Bezos was revealed because the nameless purchaser of the Textile Museum in DC’s Kalorama neighborhood.
The property dates again to 1912. AgnosticPreachersKid/Wikimedia Commons through BI
The property offered for $23 million, and with almost 27,000 sq. ft of dwelling area, it’s the largest dwelling in Washington, DC.
Bezos additionally owns 5 flats at 212 Fifth Avenue in New York Metropolis.
Madison Sq. Park in New York Metropolis. Shutterstock through BI
His most up-to-date buy was in 2021, when he paid a reported $23 million for a four-bedroom unit. He is spent a complete of $119 million on flats within the constructing.
In February 2020, Bezos turned the brand new proprietor of the Warner Property, a sprawling compound in Beverly Hills, California.
The property has a 13,600-square-foot mansion Los Angeles County/Pictometry through BI
He bought the property for $165 million, making it California’s most costly actual property transaction on the time. Bezos purchased the mansion from David Geffen, who had bought it in 1990 for $47.5 million.
In 2021, Bezos purchased a house in Hawaii situated in an remoted space on Maui’s south shore close to lava fields.
A house in Maui, Hawaii, though not the one Bezos bought. ejs9/Getty Photos through BI
Bezos’ Maui dwelling reportedly price $78 million.
Most lately, Bezos scooped up a $68 million waterfront mansion in Miami’s “billionaire bunker” island, Indian Creek Village.
Indian Creek was ranked the most costly metropolis within the US in 2021. Jeffrey Greenberg/Schooling Photos/Common Photos Group through Getty Photos; Karwai Tang/WireImage through Getty Photos through BI
The sale to Bezos was record-breaking on the island, which has additionally been dwelling to Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, Tom Brady, and billionaire investor Carl Icahn.
In January 2019, Bezos and his spouse, MacKenzie, introduced they have been divorcing.
The couple determined to separate after greater than twenty years. Dia Dipasupil / Employees through BI
“As our household and shut pals know, after an extended interval of loving exploration and trial separation, we’ve got determined to divorce and proceed our shared lives as pals,” the couple wrote within the assertion. “If we had identified we’d separate after 25 years, we’d do all of it once more.”
Jeff and MacKenzie introduced on Twitter that they had finalized the time period of their divorce in April 2019.
MacKenzie was with Jeff earlier than he ever began Amazon. Reuters through BI
MacKenzie, who modified her final identify to Scott, retained greater than $35 billion in Amazon inventory, making her one of many world’s richest girls.
Scott, whose internet price is $36 billion, has donated at the very least $14.5 billion since 2019, when she vowed to offer away most of her fortune in her lifetime.
Shortly after they introduced their divorce, information broke that Bezos was relationship TV host and helicopter pilot Lauren Sanchez.
Sanchez and Bezos initially met when each of them have been nonetheless married. After they began relationship is unclear. Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Getty Photos through BI
On the time, the Nationwide Enquirer stated it had obtained texts and express images the couple had despatched to one another. The publication additionally stated on the time that it had “raunchy messages” between Bezos and Sanchez.
Bezos instantly launched an investigation into who had leaked his private messages.
Bezos’ head of safety helmed the investigation. Drew Angerer/Getty Photos through BI
Quickly after, he dropped a bombshell of his personal: an explosive weblog publish accusing Nationwide Enquirer writer AMI of attempting to blackmail him.
“Reasonably than capitulate to extortion and blackmail, I’ve determined to publish precisely what they despatched me, regardless of the non-public price and embarrassment they threaten,” Bezos wrote.
Since then, Bezos and Sanchez have had a whirlwind few years.
Sanchez and Bezos journey the world collectively. Reuters/Andrew Couldridge through BI
The couple are sometimes captured touring all over the world collectively. They have been noticed attending Wimbledon collectively, yachting with different moguls and celebrities, and vacationing in Saint-Tropez and St. Barths.
All through the summer season, they’ve steadily been noticed on Bezos’ new yacht.
Bezos and Sanchez hanging out in Portofino. MEGA / Contributor / Getty Photos through BI
The ship, which price an estimated $500 million to construct, is 417 ft lengthy and stated to be the most important on the planet. Bezos could have even put a sculpture of Sanchez on the bow of the ship.
In Could, a number of retailers reported that the pair had gotten engaged.
Jeff Bezos and Laura Sanchez in 2022. Jordan Strauss/AP through BI
They marked the engagement with a social gathering in August attended by visitors like Invoice Gates and Kris Jenner.
In 2021, Bezos introduced he would step down as Amazon’s CEO and transition to govt chairman after 27 years on the firm’s helm.
Jeff Bezos was succeeded by Amazon govt Andy Jassy. Kevin Winter/Getty Photos through BI
Bezos stated that he deliberate to spend extra time on philanthropy — together with the Bezos Earth Fund and his Day 1 Fund — in addition to his two different main endeavors: The Washington Put up and his rocket firm, Blue Origin.
That month, he took an 11-minute voyage to the sting of area aboard a Blue Origin spacecraft.
The rocket had flown 15 instances earlier than, however this was it is first time with individuals onboard. Isaiah J. Downing/Reuters through BI
The journey marked his firm’s first human spaceflight.
He was accompanied by his brother, Mark; a Dutch teenager named Oliver Daemen; and Wally Funk, an 82-year-old aviator who educated to go to area within the ’60s however was finally denied the chance as a result of she was a lady.
Although Bezos stays the third-richest individual on the planet right now, his wealth took a tumble final yr.
Jeff Bezos. AP Photograph/Patrick Semansky, File through BI
In Forbes’ annual rating of the world’s wealthiest people, Bezos got here out as the most important loser: His internet price fell $57 billion from March 2022 to March 2023 however nonetheless sat at a cool $114 billion on the time.
Amazon’s inventory fell 50% in 2022, and it turned the primary public firm to ever lose $1 trillion in market worth. Do not feel too unhealthy for him — with Amazon’s inventory bouncing again this yr, Bezos’ pockets has largely recovered.