Jeff Bezos is stepping down as Amazon CEO after 26 years at the helm. Here are some of his headline-making moments, from launching a space company to blocking a blackmail attempt.

Avery HartmansFeb 6, 2021, 20:04 IST

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

Jeff Bezos is stepping down as Amazon CEO in the third quarter of this year.
Big moments from his last 26 years include taking Amazon public and blocking a blackmail attempt.
He also became the world's richest person, bought the Washington Post, and launched a space company.

In the 26 years he's run Amazon, Jeff Bezos has had some major, headline-making moments.

From weathering the dot-com crash and a major tabloid scandal to buying the Washington Post and launching his own space company, Bezos has successfully steered Amazon toward a $1.6 trillion market value while building a personal fortune worth $193 billion.

Now, Bezos is stepping aside from his role as CEO, becoming Amazon's executive chairman in the third quarter of 2021.

With Bezos' departure from the helm of Amazon imminent, here's a look back at some of his wildest, most headline-grabbing moments, both personal and professional.

In 1994, after seeing that the web had grown 2,300% in a single year, Bezos quit a lucrative job at hedge fund D.E. Shaw to sell books online.

Jeff Bezos in 1997. Paul Souders/Getty Images

After a few years of rapid growth, Bezos took Amazon public on May 15, 1997.

Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

A few months later, Bezos hand-delivered Amazon's millionth order to a customer in Japan.

In 1999, on the cusp of the new millennium, Time named Bezos its "Person of the Year" for his role in making online shopping available to the masses.

In September 2000, Bezos launched Blue Origin, a commercial spaceflight company.

Isaiah J. Downing/Reuters

Throughout the 2000s, Bezos and company launched major new products and businesses for Amazon, including membership service Prime, the Kindle e-reader, the Echo smart speaker, and cloud-computing service Amazon Web Services, now known as AWS.

Bezos holds up Kindle Fire devices in 2012. Gus Ruelas/Reuters

Throughout the 2000s, Bezos and company launched major new products and businesses for Amazon, including membership service Prime, the Kindle e-reader, the Echo smart speaker, and cloud-computing service Amazon Web Services, now known as AWS.

Bezos bought the Washington Post for $250 million in 2013, famously making an offer without doing any due diligence.

Bezos purchased the Washington Post in 2013. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

In 2016, Bezos flew his personal jet to Germany to pick up and bring home Jason Rezaian, a Washington Post reporter who had been imprisoned in Iran.

A #JasonisFree banner hangs from the entrance of the Washington Post after reporter Jason Rezaian was released from 18 months in prison in Iran. Gary Cameron/Reuters

Bezos became the world's richest person for the first time in 2017, surpassing Microsoft founder Bill Gates. At the time, his net worth was more than $90 billion.

Jeff Bezos. David Ryder/Getty

Bezos became an internet meme after photos surface in 2017 of him with a noticeably buffer physique and stylish new look.

Bezos at the third day of the annual Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference in 2017. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

That year, Bezos launched a nationwide competition for Amazon's next headquarters, HQ2, after reportedly being inspired by a similar move Elon Musk had made.

Bezos, left, and Elon Musk. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

In early 2019, Bezos wrote an incendiary blog post accusing National Enquirer publisher AMI of blackmail and revealing detailed descriptions of risqué photos he had sent to his girlfriend.

Former AMI publisher David Pecker, left, and Bezos. Getty/Marion Curtis/AP/Joe Raedle/Business Insider composite

In early 2019, Bezos wrote an incendiary blog post accusing National Enquirer publisher AMI of blackmail and revealing detailed descriptions of risqué photos he had sent to his girlfriend.

After the killing of George Floyd last year and the protests that followed, Bezos was outspoken about his support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Protesters gather at a memorial for George Floyd where he died in Minneapolis. AP Photo/John Minchillo

Bezos was called to testify before Congress for the first time in July 2020 over Amazon's treatment of third-party sellers.

Mandel Ngan-Pool/Getty Images

Bezos announced in February 2021 that he will be stepping down in the third quarter. Andy Jassy, who currently serves as CEO of AWS, will take his place.

Mike Blake/Reuters; Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images

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Jeff Bezos is stepping down as Amazon CEO after 26 years at the helm. Here are some of his headline-making moments, from launching a space company to blocking a blackmail attempt.

In 1994, after seeing that the web had grown 2,300% in a single year, Bezos quit a lucrative job at hedge fund D.E. Shaw to sell books online.

After a few years of rapid growth, Bezos took Amazon public on May 15, 1997.

A few months later, Bezos hand-delivered Amazon's millionth order to a customer in Japan.

In 1999, on the cusp of the new millennium, Time named Bezos its "Person of the Year" for his role in making online shopping available to the masses.

In September 2000, Bezos launched Blue Origin, a commercial spaceflight company.

Throughout the 2000s, Bezos and company launched major new products and businesses for Amazon, including membership service Prime, the Kindle e-reader, the Echo smart speaker, and cloud-computing service Amazon Web Services, now known as AWS.

Bezos bought the Washington Post for $250 million in 2013, famously making an offer without doing any due diligence.

In 2016, Bezos flew his personal jet to Germany to pick up and bring home Jason Rezaian, a Washington Post reporter who had been imprisoned in Iran.

Bezos became the world's richest person for the first time in 2017, surpassing Microsoft founder Bill Gates. At the time, his net worth was more than $90 billion.

Bezos became an internet meme after photos surface in 2017 of him with a noticeably buffer physique and stylish new look.

That year, Bezos launched a nationwide competition for Amazon's next headquarters, HQ2, after reportedly being inspired by a similar move Elon Musk had made.

In early 2019, Bezos wrote an incendiary blog post accusing National Enquirer publisher AMI of blackmail and revealing detailed descriptions of risqué photos he had sent to his girlfriend.

After the killing of George Floyd last year and the protests that followed, Bezos was outspoken about his support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Bezos was called to testify before Congress for the first time in July 2020 over Amazon's treatment of third-party sellers.

Bezos announced in February 2021 that he will be stepping down in the third quarter. Andy Jassy, who currently serves as CEO of AWS, will take his place.