Inside the life and career of Jeff Bezos, the tech CEO who founded Amazon

Sarah JacksonAug 22, 2023, 16:05 IST

Jeff Bezos stepped down as Amazon's CEO in 2021, but remains executive chairman.Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Jeff Bezos began his career as a hedge-funder in New York before leaving to start Amazon.
Amazon struggled to turn a profit at first, but is one of the world's biggest companies today.

Jeff Bezos is one of the most recognizable names in business.

The 59-year-old tech titan worked at a hedge fund before he left to start Amazon as an online bookseller, ultimately growing it into one of the world's largest companies by revenue. He's also founded space tourism company Blue Origin, which has flown him to the edge of space.

He's a fixture in the world's wealthiest list; currently, Bezos is the third-richest person in the world with a net worth of $158 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

With all of his wealth, Bezos has made some splashy purchases. He's the 24th-largest landowner in the US with 420,000 acres, according to the 2022 Land Report, with a real estate portfolio boasting mansions in Hawaii, California, Florida, and more. Bezos also owns the world's biggest sailing yacht, a 417-footer that cost an estimated $500 million.

From from his first job flipping burgers at McDonald's to building Amazon into a trillion-dollar company at one point, here's a look at Jeff Bezos' life and career.

Allana Akhtar and Avery Hartmans contributed to an earlier version of this story.

Jeff Bezos' mom, Jackie, was a teenager when she had him on January 12, 1964.

Jeff Bezos with his father, Miguel "Mike" Bezos.Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Statue Of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation

In 1968, his mother told his biological father, Ted Jorgensen, who previously had worked as a circus performer, to stay out of their lives.

Not Jeff Bezos' father.Reuters/Eric Gaillard

Bezos showed signs of brilliance from an early age.

Fabian Strauch/picture alliance via Getty Images

From ages four to 16, Bezos spent summers at his grandparents' ranch in Texas, doing things like repairing windmills and castrating bulls.

Bezos said he would help vaccinate cattle, fix equipment, and do other chores while at his grandparents.AP Photo/Richard Drew

Bezos' first job was cooking burgers at a McDonald's in Miami.

Bezos became interested in automation during his time at McDonald's.Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Bezos has cited his grandfather, Preston Gise, as an inspiration.

Bezos said his grandfather was an intelligent, quiet man.AP Images

As a child, Bezos fell in love with reruns of the original "Star Trek" and became a fan of later versions too.

Bezos' interest in space goes way back.Paramount Pictures

At his South Florida high school, Bezos said he wanted to be a "space entrepreneur."

Bezos' space company is called Blue Origin.Getty Images / Blue Origin

To avoid spending a summer flipping burgers at McDonald's, Bezos and his high school girlfriend started a summer camp.

The name of Bezos' summer cap was Dream Institute.Kim Kulish/Getty images

Upon graduating high school in 1982, Bezos matriculated at Princeton University, where he majored in computer science.

Princeton University.John Greim / Getty Images

After he quit Fitel, he went to Bankers Trust where he worked as a product manager.

Bezos worked at Banker's Trust for about two years.Karl Baron/Flickr

He left Banker's Trust after two years for hedge fund D. E. Shaw.

D.E. Shaw was founded by David Shaw, pictured.D.E. Shaw

Meanwhile, Bezos was taking ballroom dancing classes as part of a scheme to increase what he called his "women flow."

Bezos' had an interesting dating strategy.Lisi Niesner/Reuters

He ended up meeting his future wife, MacKenzie Scott Tuttle at work.

By 1994, Bezos's eye was on the internet, after reading about the web's immense growth in one year.

Paul Falardeau

He decided to leave D.E. Shaw — a stable and lucrative job — in 1994 to start what would become Amazon.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is silhouetted during a presentation of his company's new Fire smartphone at a news conference in Seattle, Washington June 18, 2014.REUTERS/Jason Redmond

MacKenzie and Jeff flew to Texas to borrow a car from his father, and then they drove to Seattle, which would become Amazon's headquarters.

Bezos worked on his business plan while he couple were driving across the country, according to Wired.Sara Jaye/Getty Images

Bezos started Amazon.com in a garage with a potbelly stove.

Bezos worked out of the garage of a rented house in Bellevue, Washington.Mike Segar/Reuters

In the early days, a bell would ring in the office every time someone made a purchase.

AP Photo/Andy Rogers

In the first month of its launch, Amazon sold books to people in all 50 states and more than 45 different countries.

Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

When the dot-com crash came, analysts called the company "Amazon.bomb." But it weathered the storm.

The dot-com bust didn't kill Amazon.Mario Tama/Getty Images

Amazon has now gone beyond selling books to offering almost everything you can imagine.

Amazon has hundreds of fulfillment centers around the world.Shutterstock

In the early days, Bezos was said to be a demanding boss.

Bezos wasn't always the easiest person to work with.Reuters

At one point, Bezos banned PowerPoint presentations at Amazon.

BezosThomson Reuters

Bezos is also known for creating a frugal company culture.

An Amazon office.Business Insider

More than 20 years after going public, Amazon now has a market cap of $1.4 trillion.

Amazon has become one of the biggest companies in the world.Alex Wong/Getty Images

His time leading Amazon was not without controversy.

Amazon has come under the spotlight many times.AP/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

He's also gotten rich as an early investor in Google

Google cofounders Larry Page, left, and Sergey Brin, right.AP

Despite his high net worth, Bezos had the same annual base salary for decades while he was CEO: $81,840.

Security and travel costs for Bezos totaled some $1.6 million in 2016.Drew Angerer/Getty Images

In July 2017, Bezos became the world's richest person for the first time.

Bill Gates, left, and Jeff Bezos, right.Getty Images

Today, Bezos is worth $157 billion, and he said he will give most of his wealth to charity.

Bezos has given to a number of causes.REUTERS/Abhishek N. Chinnappa

But he's also spending his money on other business pursuits.

Amazon was not involved in the deal with The Washington Post.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

And he's spent an unknown amount on the private space tourism company Blue Origin.

Bezos made history with his rocket company.Blue Origin

Bezos' interest in flying has gotten him into trouble in the past.

Bezos cheated death in 2003.LINDSEY WASSON/Reuters

Over the years, Bezos has also built quite the real estate portfolio.

Jeff Bezos owns all kinds of properties.Stephen Brashear/Getty

In January 2017, Bezos was revealed as the anonymous buyer of the Textile Museum in DC's Kalorama neighborhood.

The property dates back to 1912.AgnosticPreachersKid/Wikimedia Commons

Bezos also owns five apartments at 212 Fifth Avenue in New York City.

Madison Square Park in New York City.Shutterstock

In February 2020, Bezos became the new owner of the Warner Estate, a sprawling compound in Beverly Hills, California.

The estate has a 13,600-square-foot mansionLos Angeles County/Pictometry

In 2021, Bezos bought a home in Hawaii located in an isolated area on Maui's south shore near lava fields.

A home in Maui, Hawaii, although not the one Bezos purchased.ejs9/Getty Images

Most recently, Bezos scooped up a $68 million waterfront mansion in Miami's "billionaire bunker" island, Indian Creek Village.

Indian Creek was ranked the most expensive city in the US in 2021.Jeffrey Greenberg/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images; Karwai Tang/WireImage via Getty Images

In January 2019, Bezos and his wife, MacKenzie, announced they were divorcing.

The couple decided to split after more than two decades.Dia Dipasupil / Staff

Jeff and MacKenzie announced on Twitter they had finalized the term of their divorce in April 2019.

MacKenzie was with Jeff before he ever started Amazon.Reuters

Shortly after they announced their divorce, news broke that Bezos was dating TV host and helicopter pilot Lauren Sanchez.

Sanchez and Bezos originally met when both of them were still married. When they started dating is unclear.Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Getty Images

Bezos immediately launched an investigation into who had leaked his personal messages.

Bezos' head of security helmed the investigation.Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Since then, Bezos and Sanchez have had a whirlwind few years.

Sanchez and Bezos travel the world together.Reuters/Andrew Couldridge

Throughout the summer, they've frequently been spotted on Bezos' new yacht.

Bezos and Sanchez hanging out in Portofino.MEGA / Contributor / Getty Images

In May, multiple outlets reported that the pair had gotten engaged.

Jeff Bezos and Laura Sanchez in 2022.Jordan Strauss/AP

In 2021, Bezos announced he would step down as Amazon's CEO and transition to executive chairman after 27 years at the company's helm.

Jeff Bezos was succeeded by Amazon executive Andy Jassy.Kevin Winter/Getty Images

That month, he took an 11-minute voyage to the edge of space aboard a Blue Origin spacecraft.

The rocket had flown 15 times before, but this was it's first time with people onboard.Isaiah J. Downing/Reuters

Though Bezos remains the third-richest person in the world today, his wealth took a tumble last year.

Jeff Bezos.AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File

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