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 and former CEO of Amazon, a global e-commerce and cloud computing giant. As of December 2025, his net worth is estimated at $239.4 billion, ranking him as the fourth richest person globally. He held the title of the wealthiest person in the world from 2017 to 2021.

Sections (6)

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

1982: High School Valedictorian and Awards

In 1982, Bezos was high school valedictorian, a National Merit Scholar, and a Silver Knight Award winner.

1997: Equity Offering

In 1997 Bezos used the $54 million raised during the company's equity offering to finance the aggressive acquisition of smaller competitors.

1997: Bezos Becomes a Millionaire

In 1997, Jeff Bezos became a millionaire after raising $54 million through Amazon's initial public offering (IPO).

1998: Diversification into Music and Video

In 1998, Bezos expanded Amazon's online sales to include music and video.

1999: Bezos second centibillionaire

Bezos was the second person ever to have achieved the feat since Bill Gates in 1999.

1999: Purchase of Pets.com

In 1999 Bezos purchased a majority stake in pets.com

1999: Bezos 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.

2000: Purchase of Kozmo.com

In 2000 Bezos purchased a portion of kozmo.com for $60 million, both of which would fail after the dot-com bubble collapse

2003: Amazon Rebounds and Turns a Profit

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

2005: Net Worth Quadruples

From 2005 to 2007, Jeff Bezos quadrupled his net worth to $8.7 billion.

2006: Blue Origin Purchased Land in West Texas

In 2006, Blue Origin purchased a large tract of land in West Texas to establish a launch and test facility.

2007: Net Worth Quadruples

From 2005 to 2007, Jeff Bezos quadrupled his net worth to $8.7 billion.

2010: Wealth Rises Substantially

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

2013: $600-million contract with the CIA

In 2013, Bezos secured a $600-million contract with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on behalf of Amazon Web Services.

2014: Amazon Wins CIA Cloud Computing Contract

In 2014, Amazon won a bid for a cloud computing contract with the CIA valued at $600 million.

2014: Net Worth Increase Due to Smartphone Rumors

In 2014, Jeff Bezos's net worth rose to $30.5 billion after rumors that Amazon was developing a smartphone.

2015: Blue Origin Announced Development of New Orbital Launch Vehicle

In 2015, Blue Origin announced that a new orbital launch vehicle was under development with its first flight planned for the late 2010s. In November, Blue Origin's New Shepard space vehicle successfully reached space and landed vertically back at the launch site.

2015: New Shepard Reaches Space

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

October 2016: Wealth Increases Significantly

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

January 2017: Net Worth Increase

From January 2017 to January 2018, Jeff Bezos's net worth increased by $33.6 billion.

July 2017: Bezos Briefly Unseats Bill Gates as Wealthiest Person

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

July 27, 2017: Briefly Becomes World's Wealthiest Person

On July 27, 2017, Bezos momentarily became the world's wealthiest person, surpassing Bill Gates, with an estimated net worth just over $90 billion.

October 10, 2017: Bezos Makes $6.24 Billion in 5 Minutes

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

October 2017: Bezos Surpasses Gates Throughout October

Throughout the month of October 2017, Jeff Bezos continued to sporadically surpass Bill Gates as the wealthiest person after Amazon's share price fluctuated.

November 24, 2017: Wealth Surpasses $100 Billion

On November 24, 2017, Bezos's wealth surpassed $100 billion for the first time.

December 2017: New Shepard Successfully Flew and Landed Dummy Passengers

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

2017: Amazon Created 130,000 Jobs

In 2017, Amazon created 130,000 jobs. Amazon cited this fact in response to criticisms regarding the wages of its workers.

January 2018: Net Worth Increase and Amazon Worker Protests

From January 2017 to January 2018, Jeff Bezos's net worth increased by $33.6 billion. Following a report by Quartz highlighting Bezos' wealth, Amazon workers in Poland, Germany, and Spain participated in demonstrations and labor strikes.

February 1, 2018: Amazon Reports Record Profits

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

March 6, 2018: Designated World's Wealthiest Person by Forbes

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

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 17, 2018: Bezos 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: Bezos Announces Company-Wide Wage Increase

On October 2, 2018, Jeff Bezos announced a company-wide wage increase at Amazon, raising the minimum wage for American workers to $15 per hour, which was applauded by Senator Bernie Sanders and interpreted as support for the Fight for $15 movement.

November 2018: New Shepard to Begin Transporting Humans

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

August 2020: Net Worth Exceeds $200 Billion

In August 2020, Bezos's net worth exceeded $200 billion, according to Forbes.

July 2021: Announcement of Courage and Civility Award

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

July 20, 2021: Bezos Launched on the 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.

2023: Wealth Ranking

According to Forbes in 2023, Jeff Bezos was the second-wealthiest person in America and the third-wealthiest person in the world.

November 30, 2025: Bezos Ranked Fifth Wealthiest Person

As of November 30, 2025, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index ranks Jeff Bezos the fifth wealthiest person in the world, with an estimated wealth of $255 billion.