Jeff Bezos is an American entrepreneur and the founder of Amazon, which he started on 5 July 1994 in a rented garage in Bellevue, Washington. Born on 12 January 1964 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, he led Amazon as CEO until 5 July 2021, owns The Washington Post, and founded the spaceflight company Blue Origin. Bloomberg estimated his net worth at about $279 billion in May 2026.
Jeff Bezos at a Glance
| Born | 12 January 1964, Albuquerque, New Mexico (as Jeffrey Preston Jorgensen) |
|---|---|
| Education | Princeton University, BSE in electrical engineering and computer science, summa cum laude, 1986 |
| Profession | Entrepreneur, investor |
| Companies | Amazon (founder), Blue Origin (founder), The Washington Post (owner), Project Prometheus (co-founder) |
| Net worth | About $279 billion (Bloomberg estimate, May 2026) |
| Spouse | Lauren Sánchez (married 27 June 2025) |
Early Life and Education
Bezos was born Jeffrey Preston Jorgensen. His stepfather, Miguel “Mike” Bezos, adopted him in 1968 and his surname changed. He attended Princeton University, started in physics, switched to electrical engineering and computer science, and graduated in 1986.
Career Journey
Before Amazon, Bezos worked at Fitel, at Bankers Trust (1988-1990) and at the hedge fund D. E. Shaw & Co. (1990-1994). He founded Amazon on 5 July 1994 as an online bookstore.
Amazon Web Services launched in 2002, and the Kindle followed in November 2007. In February 2021 he announced he would step aside; on 5 July 2021 he became executive chairman and Andy Jassy succeeded him as CEO.
The Washington Post and Blue Origin
On 5 August 2013 Bezos agreed to buy The Washington Post for $250 million in cash through his holding company Nash Holdings. The sale closed on 1 October 2013. He founded Blue Origin in September 2000. Its New Shepard rocket reached 100.5 km in November 2015, and Bezos flew on the NS-16 mission on 20 July 2021, reaching 107.0 km on a flight lasting over ten minutes.
Philanthropy
- Day One Fund (September 2018): a commitment of about $2 billion to address homelessness and fund nonprofit preschools.
- Bezos Earth Fund (February 2020): a $10 billion pledge to combat climate change.
Current Work
In November 2025 Bezos co-founded the AI start-up Project Prometheus with Vik Bajaj; news reports at the time described him as co-chief executive. He also married Lauren Sánchez in Venice on 27 June 2025. His first marriage, to MacKenzie Tuttle (now MacKenzie Scott), ended in divorce in 2019.
Conclusion
Jeff Bezos turned an online bookstore into one of the world’s largest companies, then moved into media, spaceflight, philanthropy and AI. Net-worth figures change daily and vary by source, so the estimate above is attributed to Bloomberg and dated.
