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 leader in e-commerce and cloud computing. His estimated net worth of over $209 billion makes him one of the wealthiest individuals globally. Bezos held the title of the world's richest person from 2017 to 2021, solidifying his position as a pivotal figure in both the business and technology sectors.

Sections (6)

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

July 1969: Apollo 11 Mission

In July 1969, the Apollo 11 mission's S-1C stage launched into space. Engines from this mission were recovered by Bezos Expeditions in 2013.

1982: Awards and Graduation Speech

In 1982, Bezos was high school valedictorian, a National Merit Scholar, and a Silver Knight Award winner. In his graduation speech, he expressed his dream of mankind colonizing space.

1997: Became a Millionaire

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

1999: Bill Gates First Centibillionaire

Bill Gates became the first ever centibillionaire since 1999.

1999: First Included on Forbes World's Billionaires List

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

March 2003: Bezos Survives Helicopter Crash

In March 2003, Jeff Bezos was a passenger in a helicopter that crashed in West Texas while surveying land for Blue Origin. All four occupants survived with Bezos sustaining only minor injuries.

2003: Amazon Rebounds with Profit

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

2014: Amazon Wins Cloud Computing Contract with CIA

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

2015: Blue Origin's New Shepard Reached Space

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

January 2017: Bezos's Net Worth Increases

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

July 2017: Briefly Unseated Bill Gates as Wealthiest Person

In July 2017, Jeff Bezos briefly unseated Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates as the wealthiest person in the world.

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

On July 27, 2017, Bezos momentarily became the world's wealthiest person over Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates when his estimated net worth increased to 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, an amount slightly less than the then annual gross domestic product of Kyrgyzstan.

October 2017: Bezos Sporadically Surpasses Gates

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

December 2017: New Shepard Flew and Landed Dummy Passengers

In December 2017, New Shepard successfully flew and landed dummy passengers, pushing its human space travel start date into late 2018.

January 2018: Bezos's Net Worth Increase Compared to Countries' GDP

Between January 2017 and January 2018, Jeff Bezos's net worth increased by $33.6 billion. This increase outstripped the economic development (in GDP terms) of more than 96 countries around the world.

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.

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: Company-Wide Wage Increase

On October 2, 2018, Bezos announced a company-wide wage increase, raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour for American workers.

November 2018: Scheduled Start of Human Transport to Space

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

2019: Harvard Business Review Ranking

In 2019, Harvard Business Review, which had ranked Jeff Bezos the best-performing CEO for 4 years in a row since 2014, did not rank him even in the top 100, citing Amazon's "relatively low ESG scores".

July 2021: Courage and Civility Award Announcement

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: Launched 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 (107.0 km).