Jeff Bezos's Success and Achievements in Timeline

A success timeline featuring the most significant achievements of Jeff Bezos.

Jeff Bezos is an American businessman renowned as the founder, executive chairman, and former CEO of Amazon, a leading e-commerce and cloud computing giant. With a net worth exceeding $220 billion as of May 2025, Bezos holds the position of the third-wealthiest individual globally, according to Forbes. He previously held the title of the world's richest person from 2017 to 2021, as recognized by both Forbes and the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Sections (6)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

1982: High School Achievements

In 1982, Bezos attended the Student Science Training Program, was high school valedictorian, a National Merit Scholar, and a Silver Knight Award winner.

1997: Became a millionaire

In 1997 Bezos first became a millionaire after raising $54 million through Amazon's IPO.

1998: Amazon Diversifies into Music and Video

In 1998, Bezos diversified Amazon into the online sale of music and video, expanding into other consumer goods by the end of the year.

1999: Included on Forbes World's Billionaires List

In 1999, Jeff Bezos was first included on the Forbes World's Billionaires list with an estimated net worth of $10.1 billion, placing him 19th in the world and 10th in the USA.

2003: Amazon Rebounds with Profit

In 2003, Amazon rebounded from financial instability and turned a profit of $35 million.

2006: Purchase of Land in West Texas

In 2006, Blue Origin purchased a large tract of land in West Texas to establish a launch and test facility, marking a significant step in developing its space program.

2010: Net worth increased

In 2010, Bezos's wealth rose by 85.2%, leaving him with $12.6 billion and ascending him to the 43rd spot on the ranking from 68th.

September 2011: Blue Origin Prototype Crash

In September 2011, Blue Origin experienced a setback when one of its uncrewed prototype vehicles crashed during a short-hop test flight. Despite the crash, progress in advancing spaceflight since the company's founding was noted.

2015: New Shepard Reaches Space

In 2015, Blue Origin's New Shepard vehicle reached space and successfully landed back on Earth.

March 2016: Net Worth Registered

By the time the Forbes list was calculated in March 2016, Bezos' net worth was registered at $45.2 billion.

October 2016: Wealth Increased

In October 2016, Bezos' wealth increased by $16.2 billion to $66.5 billion, unofficially ranking him the third-richest person in the world, behind Warren Buffett.

July 2017: Briefly Unseated Bill Gates

In July 2017, after sporadic jumps in Amazon's share price, Jeff Bezos briefly unseated Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates as the wealthiest person in the world.

July 27, 2017: Momentarily World's Wealthiest Person

On July 27, 2017, Bezos momentarily became the world's wealthiest person over Bill Gates when his estimated net worth increased to just over $90 billion.

October 10, 2017: Estimated $6.24 billion in 5 minutes

On October 10, 2017, Jeff Bezos made an estimated $6.24 billion in 5 minutes, which was slightly less than the then annual gross domestic product of Kyrgyzstan.

October 2017: Surpassed Bill Gates

Throughout October 2017, Jeff Bezos sporadically surpassed Bill Gates as the richest person in the world after Amazon's share price fluctuated.

December 2017: New Shepard Successfully Flies with Dummy Passengers

In December 2017, Blue Origin's New Shepard successfully flew and landed dummy passengers, pushing the anticipated start date for human space travel into late 2018.

January 2018: Net worth increased by $33.6 billion

From January 2017 to January 2018, Jeff Bezos's net worth increased by $33.6 billion, which outstripped the economic development of more than 96 countries.

February 1, 2018: Amazon Reports Highest Profit

On February 1, 2018, Amazon reported its highest ever profit with quarterly earnings of $2 billion.

March 6, 2018: Designated World's Wealthiest Person

On March 6, 2018, Bezos was formally designated the wealthiest person in the world by Forbes, with a net worth of $112 billion.

May 2018: Blue Origin's Primary Goal Announced

In May 2018, Jeff Bezos stated that the primary goal of Blue Origin is to preserve Earth's natural resources by making the human species multi-planetary, announcing that New Shepard would begin transporting humans into sub-orbital space by November 2018.

July 2018: Richest Man in Modern History

In July 2018, Bezos was named the "richest man in modern history" after his net worth increased to $150 billion.

July 2018: Net worth reached $150 billion

In July 2018, Jeff Bezos's net worth of $150 billion was enough to purchase the entire stock markets of Nigeria, Hungary, Egypt, Luxembourg, and Iran, according to Quartz.

July 2018: Commercial Spaceflight Ticket Prices Announced

In July 2018, it was announced that Jeff Bezos had priced commercial spaceflight tickets from $200,000 to $300,000 per person.

July 17, 2018: Designated wealthiest person in modern history

On July 17, 2018, Jeff Bezos was designated the "wealthiest person in modern history" by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Fortune, MarketWatch, The Wall Street Journal, and Forbes.

October 2, 2018: Company-Wide Wage Increase

On October 2, 2018, Bezos announced a company-wide wage increase, which Sanders applauded. The American workers who were being paid the minimum wage had this increased to $15 per hour.

November 2018: Sub-orbital human transport announced

In November 2018, Bezos announced that New Shepard would begin transporting humans into sub-orbital space.

July 2021: Bezos announces the Courage and Civility Award

In July 2021, Jeff Bezos announced the Courage and Civility Award and donated $100 million each to lawyer Van Jones and chef José Andrés.

July 20, 2021: Bezos Launches on NS-16 Mission

On July 20, 2021, Jeff Bezos launched on the NS-16 mission with his half-brother Mark Bezos, Wally Funk, and Oliver Daemen. The suborbital flight lasted over 10 minutes, reaching a peak altitude of 66.5 miles.