Jeff Bezos Net Worth

What is Jeff Bezos' Net Worth?

Jeff Bezos is a prominent American philanthropist, businessman, and space explorer with a substantial net worth of $210 billion. He amassed his fortune as the founder of Amazon.com, where he formerly served as CEO and currently holds the positions of president and chairman of the board. Bezos first exceeded Bill Gates in wealth in July 2017 and remained the richest person globally until January 2021. He regained this title in March 2024, surpassing Elon Musk.

As per the latest SEC filings, Jeff owns 55 million shares of Amazon, accounting for roughly 12% of the total shares. He once owned 80 million shares, but his 2019 divorce settlement with MacKenzie Bezos resulted in the transfer of 19.7 million shares worth $36 billion to her. Despite a temporary drop in his net worth from $150 billion to $114 billion due to the settlement, Jeff remains a major shareholder. He also holds a significant investment in Alphabet Inc., valued at over $1 billion.

Net Worth Milestones

Defeated Bill Gates to become the world's richest person in July 2017
Reached a net worth of $50 billion in July 2015
Amazon's market cap exceeded $1 trillion in September 2018
Surpassed the $170 billion mark in net worth before his divorce

Jeff Bezos' Key Facts

Left a finance job in 1994 to start an online bookstore
Drafted the Amazon business plan during a cross-country drive
Net worth soared to $12 billion the day Amazon went public in 1998
Net worth dropped to $2 billion post-dotcom bubble
Reached $50 billion in net worth in 2015 for the first time
Accumulated over $1 billion in Google shares from a pre-IPO investment
MacKenzie received 20 million Amazon shares post-divorce, becoming the world's richest woman
Owns $300 million worth of property in Beverly Hills
Sells $1 billion in Amazon shares annually to fund Blue Origin
Hit $211 billion net worth in July 2021

Early Life

Born on January 12, 1964, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Jeff Bezos' early life was filled with moving and changes. His mother, a 17-year-old high school student, divorced his father, who owned a bike shop. When Jeff was four, his mother married Cuban immigrant Miguel Bezos, and the family moved to Houston where Miguel worked for Exxon. Jeff spent his formative years in Texas, utilizing his parents' garage for science projects and working at his grandparents' ranch during summers. He later purchased and expanded the ranch from 25,000 to 300,000 acres.

The family relocated to Miami during Jeff's high school years, where he worked at McDonald's and graduated as valedictorian. His valedictory speech highlighted his aspiration for humanity to colonize space. Jeff attended Princeton University, initially studying physics but switched to computer science and electrical engineering, graduating summa cum laude with a 4.2 GPA, Phi Beta Kappa.

Amazon

Jeff Bezos became fascinated with the Internet in 1994 and decided to sell books online. He and his wife, MacKenzie, drove from New York to Seattle, drafting the business plan for Amazon along the way. In 1994, Jeff founded Amazon in his garage, which quickly grew into one of the world's largest e-commerce platforms.

Other Accomplishments

In 2008, Bezos received an honorary doctorate in Science and Technology from Carnegie Mellon University. Time magazine named him Person of the Year in 1999. In 2000, he founded Blue Origin, a space exploration company focused on developing space hotels and orbital colonies. Blue Origin's existence was kept secret until 2006, only becoming public when land was purchased in Texas for launch facilities. Jeff also purchased The Washington Post in 2013.

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Real Estate and Investments

After living in Seattle for almost three decades, Jeff Bezos announced in November 2023 his intention to move to Miami. He recently spent $150 million on two properties on the private island of Indian Creek Village, planning extensive renovations. In April 2024, Bezos added another mansion worth $90 million on the same island to live in during the construction. His real estate portfolio includes a $23 million mansion in Washington, D.C., multiple Texas ranches, three units in New York's 25 Central Park West, and significant properties in Medina, Washington.

In 2007, Jeff and MacKenzie bought a $24.5 million mansion in Beverly Hills, later acquiring the adjacent home for $12.9 million. MacKenzie received these properties in their divorce and donated them to the California Community Foundation in 2022. In February 2020, Jeff also bought the sprawling Jack L. Warner estate in Beverly Hills for $165 million from David Geffen, marking one of his most notable real estate investments.

(Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images)

Net Worth Details and History

Since Amazon's 1997 IPO, Jeff Bezos has sold approximately $70 billion worth of Amazon shares. Initially holding 40% of the company, his net worth was $120 million on paper. This escalated to $1 billion within a year and reached $10 billion during the dotcom boom. Despite Amazon's stock price dropping to $5 per share in 2001, reducing his net worth to $1-2 billion, the company quickly recovered, and so did Bezos' fortunes.

Net Worth Milestones

May 1997 – $120 million
June 1998 – $1 billion
June 1999 – $10 billion
July 2015 – $50 billion
January 2018 – $100 billion
September 2018 – $170 billion
April 4, 2019 – Post-divorce settlement, net worth adjusted to $114 billion
March 9, 2020 – $111 billion
July 1, 2020 – $172 billion
August 26, 2020 – $202 billion
December 2022 – $117 billion
November 2023 – $170 billion
May 2024 – $208 billion

Jeff Bezos Net Worth Over Time
June 1997	$150 million
June 1998	$1 billion
March 2000	$6 billion
October 2001	$1.5 billion
September 2004	$5.1 billion
September 2005	$4.1 billion
September 2008	$8.2 billion
December 2010	$12.6 billion
October 2013	$29 billion
July 2015	$50 billion
January 2018	$100 billion
July 2020	$172 billion
July 2021	$213 billion
November 2022	$117 billion
May 2024	$208 billion