Jeff
Bezos

Born Jeffrey Preston Jorgensen on January 12, 1964, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to 17-year-old mother Jacklyn Gise and biological father Ted Jorgensen; early life marked by family challenges as parents' marriage ended shortly after.

Mother married Cuban immigrant Miguel 'Mike' Bezos, a petroleum engineer at Exxon, who legally adopted Jeff and gave him his surname; family relocated multiple times for Mike's career, eventually settling in Houston, Texas, providing a stable middle-class upbringing.

Attended River Oaks Elementary School in Houston from fourth to sixth grade; spent summers on maternal grandfather's ranch in Cotulla, Texas, learning practical skills like fencing repairs, cattle vaccination, and mechanical work, fostering self-reliance and problem-solving.

Showed early fascination with science and technology; converted the family garage into a personal laboratory for experiments and inventions; avid reader of science fiction, influenced by authors like Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein.

Family moved to Miami, Florida; enrolled at Miami Palmetto High School; worked teenage jobs including at McDonald's as a line cook; demonstrated entrepreneurial spirit by founding the Dream Institute, a small summer educational camp for younger students focused on creative thinking.

Graduated as valedictorian from Miami Palmetto High School, earning National Merit Scholar status and Silver Knight Award; delivered commencement speech envisioning future space colonies to preserve Earth as a natural reserve, revealing early passion for space exploration.

Graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with Bachelor of Science degrees in electrical engineering and computer science (4.2 GPA); elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Tau Beta Pi honor societies; served as president of Princeton's chapter of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space.

Entered Wall Street finance and tech sector; worked at fintech startup Fitel building international trade networks, then at Bankers Trust developing banking software; rapid promotions highlighted analytical skills and leadership.

Joined hedge fund D.E. Shaw & Co., rising to senior vice president by age 30; researched internet retail opportunities, identifying books as ideal for online sales due to vast catalog; met future wife MacKenzie Tuttle, a research associate at the firm.

Married novelist MacKenzie Scott in 1993; couple later welcomed four children (three biological sons and one adopted daughter from China); partnership proved crucial in early Amazon years as MacKenzie provided key support.

Resigned from D.E. Shaw to found Amazon.com in Bellevue, Washington garage on July 5, 1994; drove cross-country with MacKenzie while drafting business plan; launched as online bookstore with parental investment of nearly $250,000 despite warned high failure risk.

Took Amazon public via NASDAQ IPO in May 1997, raising $54 million to fuel aggressive expansion; company survived dot-com bubble pressures through cost-cutting and focus on customer experience.

Diversified Amazon beyond books into music, videos, toys, and electronics; made early personal investment of $250,000 in Google; navigated rapid growth amid competition.

Secretly founded Blue Origin in September 2000 to develop reusable rockets and enable human presence in space; company operated quietly while Amazon weathered dot-com crash, including layoffs and debt financing.

Amazon achieved first annual profit of $35 million; launched Amazon Web Services (AWS), laying foundation for cloud computing dominance.

Unveiled Kindle e-reader in 2007, transforming publishing industry; AWS expanded rapidly, becoming major profit driver.

Acquired The Washington Post for $250 million in August 2013; secured large CIA cloud contract for AWS; Blue Origin advanced suborbital vehicle development.

Blue Origin achieved historic reusable rocket landing with New Shepard in 2015, beating SpaceX to the milestone; demonstrated commitment to reducing space access costs.

Surpassed $100 billion net worth in 2017 as Amazon shares surged; briefly became world's richest person multiple times.

Announced $2 billion Day 1 Fund for homelessness initiatives and tuition-free preschools; raised Amazon U.S. minimum wage to $15/hour.

Divorce from MacKenzie Scott finalized in April 2019 (she received ~$38 billion in Amazon stock for philanthropy); public relationship with Lauren Sánchez began amid media scrutiny.

Committed $10 billion to Bezos Earth Fund for climate change efforts in 2020; made large COVID-19 relief donations; Amazon thrived during pandemic e-commerce boom.

Stepped down as Amazon CEO in July 2021, transitioning to executive chairman; participated in Blue Origin's first crewed suborbital flight (NS-16) on July 20 with brother Mark, Wally Funk, and Oliver Daemen, becoming a commercial astronaut.

Engaged to Lauren Sánchez in 2023; continued major philanthropy including grants for homelessness and education; Blue Origin progressed toward orbital capabilities.

Sold tens of billions in Amazon stock; influenced Washington Post editorial direction toward free markets focus, sparking resignations and controversy; maintained involvement in Amazon AI strategy.

Married Lauren Sánchez in lavish Venice ceremony on June 27, 2025; co-founded Project Prometheus in November 2025, an AI company targeting engineering and manufacturing applications with significant funding; awarded Courage & Civility prizes to educators; remained active in Blue Origin, Amazon oversight, and climate philanthropy amid net worth exceeding $250 billion.