Jeff Bezos, born Jeffrey Preston Jorgensen on January 12, 1964, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is an American entrepreneur, investor, and commercial astronaut. He is best known as the founder of Amazon, one of the largest and most influential tech companies in the world.
Early Life and Education:
Bezos was raised in Houston, Texas, and later moved to Miami, Florida. His mother, Jacklyn Gise, was a teenager when he was born, and his father, Ted Jorgensen, was a bike shop owner. His parents divorced when he was young, and his mother remarried Miguel Bezos, who adopted Jeff.
Bezos showed an early interest in technology and engineering. As a child, he was known for taking things apart and trying to understand how they worked. He graduated as valedictorian from Miami Palmetto Senior High School and went on to attend Princeton University, where he graduated in 1986 with a degree in electrical engineering and computer science.
Early Career:
After college, Bezos worked on Wall Street, where he held various positions, including roles at Fitel, Bankers Trust, and D. E. Shaw & Co. It was at D. E. Shaw, a hedge fund, that Bezos started to develop the idea that would later become Amazon.
Founding Amazon:
In 1994, Bezos decided to leave his lucrative career on Wall Street and pursue an idea that would later revolutionize e-commerce. He moved to Seattle and launched Amazon from his garage, originally as an online bookstore. He quickly expanded Amazon’s offerings to include music, DVDs, electronics, and other consumer goods, capitalizing on the rapid growth of the internet.
Amazon’s success was fueled by Bezos’s relentless focus on customer satisfaction, innovation, and long-term growth over immediate profitability. In 1997, Amazon went public, and it rapidly became a major player in the world of online retail.
Expansion into Other Areas:
Over the years, Amazon diversified and expanded into various sectors, including cloud computing with Amazon Web Services (AWS), which became a significant part of the company’s business. Amazon also ventured into hardware with devices like the Kindle e-reader, Fire tablets, and Alexa, the voice-controlled assistant.
In addition, Bezos expanded Amazon’s influence into entertainment with Amazon Prime Video, and the company acquired Whole Foods in 2017 to expand into the physical retail market. Bezos also launched Blue Origin, a private aerospace company, with the goal of making space travel more affordable and eventually enabling human settlement in space.
Leadership and Vision:
Bezos is known for his visionary leadership style, which emphasizes experimentation, risk-taking, and a long-term view. He once famously stated that Amazon’s mission was to be “Earth’s most customer-centric company,” and his business decisions consistently reflected this focus. His obsession with customer experience and innovation led to Amazon’s continuous expansion into new industries.
Personal Life:
Bezos married MacKenzie Scott (formerly MacKenzie Bezos) in 1993, and they had four children together. The couple divorced in 2019, and Scott has since become a notable philanthropist, giving away billions of dollars to charity. Bezos’s personal life has also included his relationship with Lauren Sanchez, a former news anchor.
Wealth and Influence:
Bezos was long regarded as one of the wealthiest people in the world. His wealth peaked in 2021 when he became the first person in history to see his net worth exceed $200 billion. As of 2025, Bezos continues to be a prominent figure in business, technology, and space exploration, with a focus on Blue Origin and various philanthropic efforts.
Legacy and Impact:
Bezos’s legacy is tied to the transformation of e-commerce, the rise of cloud computing, and the expansion of space exploration. Under his leadership, Amazon grew from a small online bookstore to one of the most valuable companies in the world, reshaping industries and consumer habits along the way. While his aggressive business strategies have drawn criticism from some quarters, his impact on technology and commerce is undeniable.
As a philanthropist, Bezos has focused on climate change, education, and other global challenges through his Bezos Earth Fund and other charitable initiatives.
Conclusion:
Jeff Bezos is a complex figure, often admired for his innovation and vision, but also criticized for Amazon’s labor practices and market dominance. Nevertheless, his entrepreneurial journey and the impact of Amazon on the world continue to shape business practices and the global economy.
