How Jeff Bezos Achieved a Net Worth of $214 Billion
Jeff Bezos is a name that probably doesn’t need any introduction. The original founder of Amazon is one of the richest people in the world and was the richest person on the planet for a time. While Jeff Bezos net worth has decreased somewhat in the last few years, he’s still one of the top five richest people in the world and his value could increase at any time to become even bigger.
Examining Jeff Bezos net worth is a fascinating look at what someone can achieve with persistence, intelligence, and a little luck. It’s also an example of how big online shopping has become and the impact it has had on brick-and-mortar shops. Let’s take a deep look at these and other topics to get a feel about just how much money is changing hands in the Amazon marketplace.
Jeff Bezos Net Worth is Insane
Jeff Bezos net worth is almost staggering for the average person to seriously consider. At one point, he was worth around $214 billion because of how much Amazon’s stock rose in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, Bezos was the richest person in the world and Amazon was the highest-valued company. However, its value and Bezos net worth have decreased in recent times.
He is typically valued at between $29 billion and $126 billion, depending on Amazon shares. His most recent net worth evaluation is on the lower end of that scale due to the continued decrease in the economy and slower buying cycles in the likelihood of a recession. On that kind of financial scale, it is almost impossible to imagine the amount of money that he possesses.
For example, there was one period in which Amazon stocks dropped by 21% in a single day. That was a $23 billion drop in Bezos value in just a few hours. The stocks did rebound and sold better later that day, but he still lost $7.5 billion that day. His value is also tied heavily into other private investments, including real estate and private equity stakes, but is most heavily boosted by Amazon stock values.
Just How Big is Amazon?
Amazon was one of the first companies to be valued at over $1 trillion and, at its peak, was worth nearly $2 trillion. Since it has lost its highest stock prices in recent years, its value has nearly cut by half and it became the first business to lose $1 trillion in value. The wild thing about this loss is that Amazon is still worth nearly $1 trillion at about $930 billion in market value.
This amazing net value is backed by a significant market share that shows just how heavily Amazon has taken over the retail market in recent years. The most recent estimate claims that they’re worth nearly 38% of all retail sales. That’s shocking and shows why so many brick-and-mortar shops and malls have been going out of business in recent years and struggling to stay competitive.
Ordering from Amazon has simply become far too convenient for most people, as they can buy and sell from their phone and get goods in as little as a day. Some might even get their goods in the same day if they’re close to an Amazon warehouse. This fact, combined with constant price undercutting, makes it very hard for any other store to compete, driving them out of business and increasing Amazon’s market size.
Facts About Jeff Bezos
Jeff Bezos started Amazon in 1994 out of his garage in Seattle to take advantage of the still fairly new world of the internet. Though progress was slow, he maintained consistent sales over the years and made a fortune with his retail giant. Bezos received a much-needed cash investment of over $240,000 from his parents at the time. They still own their stake and are likely billionaires as a result.
Bezos has continually decreased his presence in the company over the years, including stepping down as CEO in 2021 and even selling much of his shares over the years when prices were at their highest. Currently, he owns just under 10% of the company. In spite of owning only a small portion of the company he created, he is still a billionaire many times over.
Jeff Bezos net worth took a hit when he divorced his wife MacKenzie in 2019. The two had been together about 25 years before the split. Bezos gave about 4% of the company to her in this divorce, a transfer that in and of itself was worth several billion. Beyond this investment, Bezos has also purchased The Washington Post and an aerospace company called Blue Origin.
He also claims that he plans to donate all or a vast majority of his net worth during his life and gave $400 million of stock to nonprofits in 2022 alone. Bezos did not reveal the companies that received these stocks, however. Nor has he revealed which charitable organizations will receive the majority of his net worth.
Where Bezos Wealth is Centered
Jeff Bezos net worth is most heavily tied up in Amazon shares, though he has made many other investments over the years. Recent information about his value has highlighted unique facts that showcase how he should have kept all of his 118 million shares. If Bezos had kept these shares, he would be worth $35 billion instead of $29 billion.
Currently, he owns about 54 million shares and has sold 28 million and given away many more. The value of the shares he has sold are about $16 billion, with the rest of his Amazon net work existing in current share value. Bezos currently earns just a $81,840 annual salary from Amazon for his work as an executive leader, which is almost nothing compared to his net value elsewhere.
Beyond Amazon, he also has about $640 million in private investments and a further $1.8 billion in expedition investments. Understanding all of these values can give you a better grasp on just where all of his money is invested. It can also show the importance of diversifying a portfolio and avoiding putting all of your investments in one area, as Bezos has consistently expanded his investments.
Bezos Invested in Google Early
Back when Google was little more than a silly word in 1998, Bezos purchased $250,000 worth of Google shares or about 3.3 million. At the time, Google was not yet a public company and the stocks were valued at about four cents each. When Google went public, the stocks were worth about $280 million or so. At their current price, that’s about $1.5 billion or so.
Bezos has not revealed how many of these stocks he still owns or whether he sold all of them years ago. He claimed that he loved the founders of the business, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and believed in their vision. If Bezos still owns Google stock, it would represent a small, but nice, portion of his current net worth. It’s fascinating to know that two of the biggest tech companies in the world had such an early connection in their histories.
Why Bezos Invests in Blue Origin
Blue Origin was founded in 2000 by Jeff Bezos to create space travel for the average person. The stated goal is to move all polluting industries off of Earth to minimize environmental damage to the planet. It is a private company that Bezos invests billions in every year. Its valuation is anywhere between $1 to $28 billion or so, with Bezos as the only holder of stock and the primary decision maker.
The company’s success has been limited since its opening, with some of its first launches mostly being failures. However, some progress has been made since these failures and Bezos and his girlfriend plan to go to space as soon as possible. Whether that’s likely to happen in the next few years will vary depending on how well Blue Origin bounces back from multiple launch failures.
Other Investments
Jeff Bezos has many more investments that goes beyond Amazon and Blue Origins. For instance, he owns The Washington Post after buying it for $250 million, in spite of it being worth just $60 million at the time. Allegedly, Bezos accepted the asking price from CEO Donald Graham without negotiating and simply wrote the check to purchase the newspaper without argument.
Beyond this investment, Bezos has invested in multiple tech companies, including Twitter, Business Insider, and Uber. He invested $37 million in Business Insider, $37 million in Uber, and $15 million in Twitter. These investments were critical for each of these companies and have kept them afloat, though its uncertain if Bezos made back much of his investment in these firms.
Bezos also owns about 400,000 acres of land, a large amount of that being centered in the United States. It is uncertain just what parcels he owns as much of this information is not shared with the public. However, it is likely that these investments are well over a few billion dollars in value.
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