With a net worth of around $190 billion, Jeff Bezos is the richest man alive. But what companies does he own?
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos laughs at a discussion at the Air Force Association’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference in December 2020. Editorial credit: Christos S / Shutterstock.com
With a net worth around $190 billion, Jeff Bezos is the richest man alive. But, unlike many US billionaires, Bezos didn't gain his incredible fortune until after he left Wall Street.
In 1994, Bezos made the fateful decision to vacate his promising post at a hedge fund to dive into the internet boom with a venture he'd go on to call Amazon. Later on, when discussing his reasoning for leaving, Bezos said, "When I'm 80, am I going to regret leaving Wall Street? No. Will I regret missing the beginning of the Internet? Yes."
Over next few decades Bezos has grown both his company and fortune to astronomical levels. Recently, Bezos and the e-commerce titan he founded have been in the news for both scandals and breakthroughs making him a household name around the world.
Despite the name recognition, what companies does Jeff Bezos own?
Amazon
We’ll get Amazon and its network of subsidiaries out of the way first. He founded the e-commerce behemoth in 1994 as an online book store. The site’s scope and ambitions have since grown to encompass (almost) anything you can imagine, including a voice assistant, smart speakers, media streaming platforms, delivery fleet, and cloud computing service.
Bezos has been the CEO of the company since itys found but recently announced he is stepping away from his creation in Q3 2021. While he will no longer be CEO, he will remain Amazon’s Executive Chair and largest single shareholder, with a more than 10% stake in the company.
Under the Amazon empire, Bezos also controls major retail and tech companies including:
Whole Foods - Amazon purchased the high-end grocery store in 2017. The company has since fully integrated its Prime membership program into the gorcery chain's stores.
Zappos - The online shoe and apparel marketplace was acquired by Amazon in 2009 in a $940 million stock and cash deal.
Twitch - Acquired in 2014, Twitch is Amazon’s foray into live streaming.
Ring - The smart doorbell company was bought by Amazon in 2018 for $1 billion and has since blossomed into other smart home segments.
Audible - Amazon snatched up the audiobook service in 2008 for $300 million.
The Washington Post
Bezos bought the storied newspaper through an LLC called Nash Holdings in 2013. Since his $250 million takeover of The Washington Post, which has been in circulation since 1877, Bezos has pushed a digital focus with the aim to increase the paper's national and global readership.
When Bezos bought the paper he named Politico founder Fred Ryan to run the paper as CEO. In the years after the purchase The Washington Post’s readership has steadily grown, with digital subscriptions tripling to nearly 3 million since 2016.
Blue Origin
Blue Origin is Bezos’ aerospace company and one of the ventures Bezos said he wanted to spend more time on when he announced his decision to step down as Amazon’s CEO. Founded in 2000, Blue Origin is led by CEO Bob Smith and much like Elon Musk’s SpaceX it aims to reduce the cost of space travel through reusable launch vehicles. In May 2019, Bezos unveiled plans for a Blue Origin moon lander called "Blue Moon", which is set to be ready by 2024.
Bezos Expeditions
Bezos Expeditions is Jeff Bezos' personal venture capital investments. Through this investment vehicle, he was an early stakeholder in Google, investing $250,000 in 1998, which resulted in 3.3 million shares of Google stock. As of February 2020, Bezos Expeditions has invested in at least 66 ventures including Airbnb, Uber, Twitter, Basecamp, Insider, and Sonder.
The company also supports Bezos’ philanthropic efforts by funding non-profit projects and contributing direct donations.
Bezos Day One Fund
The Bezos Day One Fund is a philanthropic organization that is focused on funding existing non-profits that help families experiencing homelessness, and creating a network of non-profit tier-one preschools in low-income communities. The fund is supported by a $2 billion commitment and distributed donations totaling $105.9 million to 42 recipients from 24 states in 2020. Under the Bezos Day One Fund is the Bezos Acadamy, led by former Amazon exec Mike George, which tackles the fund's eductaion goals.
Sign up now: Stay up to date, level up and hire better with our behind the scenes newsletters at the world’s top startups.
FAQs
| Jeff Bezos |
|---|
| Occupations | Businessman Media proprietor Investor |
| Known for | Founding Amazon |
| Title | Founder and executive chairman of Amazon Founder of Blue Origin Owner of The Washington Post Founder of Bezos Expeditions Executive Chair of Bezos Earth Fund Founder of Bezos Academy |
| Spouse | MacKenzie Scott ( m. 1993; div. 2019) |
9 more rowsThe founder of Amazon boasts several other enterprises — including the aforementioned aerospace company Blue Origin and The Washington Post newspaper — that have helped boost his net worth. His investment firm, Bezos Expedition, owns stakes in Uber (UBER) , AirBnB (ABNB) , and X (formerly Twitter) (TWTR) .
What website does Jeff Bezos own? ›
Jeff Bezos founded e-commerce giant Amazon in 1994 out of his Seattle garage. Bezos stepped down as CEO to become executive chairman in 2021.
Does Bezos own Google? ›
The $250,000 Bezos invested into Google was to buy 3.3 million shares at $0.08. When Google went public in 2004, his shares were equivalent to $280 million - while it's unknown when he exited Google, but it's not likely he held onto them 20 years later.
Who is the no. 1 richest person in the world? ›
Bernard Arnault, chairman of LVMH, is the richest person and the richest man in the world with a net worth of $215 billion. After Arnault is Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.
How many shares does Jeff Bezos own? ›
Does Jeff Bezos have a Lamborghini? ›
Lamborghini Veneno Roadster: This is one of the most expensive cars in his collection, estimated to be worth around $10 million oai_citation:2,A Look Inside Jeff Bezos's $20 Million Car Collection.
What homes does Jeff Bezos own? ›
The Blue Origin founder has, over the years, picked up several properties in his home state of Washington, a number of New York City apartments, a few sprawling estates in California, a ranch in Texas, and a number of places in Washington, DC. Below, we've rounded up all of Jeff Bezos's homes in the US so far.
Who is the richest person in the world in 2024? ›
Rich
- Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH, the world's leading luxury goods company, continues to dominate as the world's wealthiest individual as of May 1, 2024. ...
- Bernard Arnault. ...
- Elon Musk. ...
- Jeff Bezos. ...
- Mark Zuckerberg. ...
- Larry Ellison. ...
- Larry Page. ...
- Warren Buffett.
Jeff Bezos era (2013–present)
In late September 2013, Jeff Bezos purchased The Washington Post and other local publications, websites, and real estate for US$250 million, transferring ownership to Nash Holdings LLC, Bezos's private investment company.
Currently, he's ranked as the world's third richest man. His net worth changes constantly based on market activity, but it's now hovering around an astounding $162 billion. In addition to his share in Amazon -- of which he owns about 10% -- Bezos owns the Washington Post, Whole Foods Market and 420,000 acres of land.
What does Jeff Bezos drive? ›
His collection includes several high-end vehicles such as a Cadillac Escalade, Land Rover Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz S450, Ferrari Pininfarina Sergio, W Motors' Lykan HyperSport, Bugatti Veyron Mansory and Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita.
What if I invested $1000 in Google in 1998? ›
$1000 invested in Google in 1998 as an Angel Investor would be worth ~$77,510,183 today. Who is the next Google that you are investing in now? Follow me on Linkedin, Twitter, and Instagram for more exponential growth and investing insights.
Who is the real owner of Google? ›
Google is an American search engine company, founded in 1998 by Sergey Brin and Larry Page. Since 2015, Google has been a subsidiary of the holding company Alphabet, Inc. More than 70% of worldwide online search requests are handled by Google, placing it at the heart of most Internet users' experience.
Who invested 100k in Google? ›
Bechtolsheim Invested $100,000 in 1998. He wrote the check to Google's founders before the company had even been legally incorporated.
Does Jeff Bezos own Uber? ›
The company also has a multitude of well-known and lesser-known subsidiaries including IMDB, Whole Foods Market, and Twitch. Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post and through Bezos Expeditions, has significant stakes in companies such as Google, Uber, and Airbnb.
Does BlackRock own Amazon? ›
BlackRock (BLK 0.72%): Owns 627,171,762 Amazon shares, or 6.04% of shares outstanding.
How much does Jeff Bezos have in cash? ›
As of September 8, 2023
Forbes estimates that Bezos has $11 billion in cash and investments. His family office, Bezos Expeditions, has invested in more than 100 startups, according to PitchBook, including sports media company Overtime and Chilean plant-based milk unicorn NotCo.
Does Amazon support Israel? ›
Like Google, Amazon holds a contract with the Israeli government, which some Amazon employees have been pressuring the company to drop through protest and public condemnations.
