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. Currently serving as executive chairman, Bezos has amassed significant wealth, making him one of the wealthiest individuals globally. He notably held the title of the world's wealthiest person between 2017 and 2021. His entrepreneurial success with Amazon has significantly impacted the technology and retail sectors.
July 1969: Apollo 11 Mission
In July 1969, the Apollo 11 mission launched, and in 2013, Bezos Expeditions funded the recovery of two Saturn V first-stage Rocketdyne F-1 engines from the floor of the Atlantic Ocean positively identified as belonging to the Apollo 11 mission's S-1C stage.
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1982: High School Recognition
In 1982, Jeff Bezos was a high school valedictorian, a National Merit Scholar, and a Silver Knight Award winner.
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1997: Became a Millionaire
In 1997, Jeff Bezos first became a millionaire after raising $54 million through Amazon's initial public offering (IPO).
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1997: Equity Offering
In 1997, Jeff Bezos raised $54 million during Amazon's equity offering to finance acquisitions of smaller competitors.
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1997: Original public offering
The Motley Fool estimated that if Jeff Bezos had not sold any of his shares from its original public offering in 1997, his net worth would sit at $181 billion in 2018.
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1999: Apartment purchase in Manhattan
In 1999, Jeff Bezos purchased three adjoining apartments at 25 Central Park West in Manhattan for $7.65 million.
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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.
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1999: Net Worth $10 Billion
In 1999, Jeff Bezos was worth $10 billion yet drove a 1996 Honda Accord.
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2003: Financial Rebound
In 2003, Amazon rebounded from financial instability and turned a profit of $35 million.
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2005: Net Worth Increased
From 2005 to 2007, Jeff Bezos quadrupled his net worth to $8.7 billion.
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2006: Land Purchased for Launch Facility
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 the development of its space program.
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2007: Net Worth Increased
From 2005 to 2007, Jeff Bezos quadrupled his net worth to $8.7 billion.
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2010: Net Worth Increased
In 2010, Jeff Bezos's wealth rose by 85.2%, leaving him with $12.6 billion and ascending him to the 43rd spot on the Forbes ranking from 68th.
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September 2011: Prototype Vehicle 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, the company's progress in spaceflight was acknowledged.
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2012: Additional apartment purchase
In 2012, Jeff Bezos bought a fourth unit in the building at 25 Central Park West in Manhattan for $5.3 million.
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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.
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2014: Net Worth Rose to $30.5 Billion
In 2014, after a rumor broke out that Amazon was developing a smartphone, Jeff Bezos's net worth rose to $30.5 billion.
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March 2016: Net Worth Registered
By the time the Forbes list was calculated in March 2016, Jeff Bezos's net worth was registered at $45.2 billion.
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October 2016: Wealth Increased
In October 2016, Jeff Bezos's wealth increased by $16.2 billion to $66.5 billion, unofficially ranking him the third-richest person in the world, behind Warren Buffett.
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2016: Journalists Visit Blue Origin Facility
In 2016, Jeff Bezos allowed select journalists to tour and photograph Blue Origin's facility, increasing transparency and public awareness of the company's operations.
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2016: Wealth's Rapid Growth
Jeff Bezos wealth's rapid growth from 2016 to 2017 sparked a variety of assessments about how much money Bezos earned on a controlled, reduced time scale.
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2016: Bezos Speaks More Freely About Colonizing the Solar System
Since 2016, Jeff Bezos has spoken more freely about his hopes to colonize the solar system, and has been selling $1 billion in Amazon stock each year to capitalize Blue Origin in an effort to support this endeavor.
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January 2017: Increase in net worth
From January 2017 to January 2018, Jeff Bezos's net worth increased by $33.6 billion.
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May 2017: Donation to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
In May 2017, Bezos donated $1 million to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, an organization offering pro bono legal aid to American journalists.
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July 2017: Briefly Richest Person in the World
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.
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July 27, 2017: Briefly Richest Person
On July 27, 2017, Jeff Bezos momentarily became the world's wealthiest person over Bill Gates.
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October 10, 2017: Estimated Earnings 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.
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October 2017: Surpassed Bill Gates Sporadically
Throughout the month of October 2017, Jeff Bezos would continue to sporadically surpass Bill Gates as the wealthiest person in the world after Amazon's share price fluctuated.
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November 24, 2017: Wealth Surpasses $100 Billion
On November 24, 2017, Jeff Bezos' wealth surpassed $100 billion for the first time.
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December 2017: New Shepard Flies and Lands Dummy Passengers
In December 2017, New Shepard successfully flew and landed dummy passengers, pushing the human space travel start date into late 2018.
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2017: Google Investment Value
In 2017, Jeff Bezos's $250,000 investment in Google in 1998 was worth approximately $3.1 billion, demonstrating a successful early venture capital investment.
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January 2018: Continued increase in net worth
From January 2017 to January 2018, Jeff Bezos's net worth increased by $33.6 billion, outpacing the economic development of many countries.
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January 2018: Donation to TheDream.US
In January 2018, Bezos donated $33 million to TheDream.US, a scholarship fund supporting undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as minors.
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January 19, 2018: Amazon Stock Holdings Appreciate
By January 19, 2018, Jeff Bezos' Amazon stock holdings had appreciated to slightly over $109 billion.
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February 1, 2018: Highest Ever Profit
On February 1, 2018, Amazon reported its highest ever profit with quarterly earnings of $2 billion.
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March 6, 2018: Formally Richest Person
On March 6, 2018, Jeff Bezos was formally designated the wealthiest person in the world by Forbes, with a net worth of $112 billion.
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March 2018: Expansion into India
In March 2018, Jeff Bezos dispatched Amit Agarwal to India with $5.5 billion to localize operations throughout the company's supply chain routes.
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May 2018: Blue Origin's Primary Goal Announced
In May 2018, Jeff Bezos stated that Blue Origin's primary goal is to preserve Earth's natural resources by making humanity multi-planetary.
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June 2018: Donation to Breakthrough Energy Ventures
In June 2018, Bezos donated to Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a philanthropic fund founded by Bill Gates, focused on promoting emissions-free energy.
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July 2018: Commercial Spaceflight Tickets Priced
In July 2018, it was announced that commercial spaceflight tickets would cost from $200,000 to $300,000 per person.
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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.
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September 2018: Donation to With Honor
In September 2018, Bezos donated $10 million to With Honor, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to increasing the number of veterans in political office.
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October 2, 2018: Company-Wide Wage Increase Announced
On October 2, 2018, Jeff Bezos announced a company-wide wage increase, raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour.
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November 2018: New Shepard to Transport Humans to Sub-Orbital Space
In November 2018, it was announced that New Shepard would begin transporting humans into sub-orbital space.
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June 2019: Real estate purchase in Manhattan
In June 2019, Jeff Bezos purchased three adjoining apartments overlooking Madison Square Park in Manhattan, including a penthouse, for $80 million.
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February 2020: Purchase of Warner Estate
In February 2020, Jeff Bezos purchased the Warner Estate from David Geffen for $165 million, setting a record price for a residence in the Los Angeles area.
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July 2021: Announcement of Courage and Civility Award
In July 2021, Bezos announced the Courage and Civility Award and donated $100 million each to Van Jones and José Andrés.
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July 20, 2021: Bezos 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.
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February 2022: Apartment purchase in Flatiron
In February 2022, Jeff Bezos expanded his residential holdings by purchasing a $16.13-million-dollar apartment in the Flatiron neighborhood.
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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.
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February 2024: Net worth update
As of February 2024, Jeff Bezos's net worth is about $197 billion according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
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March 2024: Donations to Eva Longoria and Bill McRaven
In March 2024, Bezos donated $50 million each to actress Eva Longoria and retired admiral Bill McRaven.
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December 17, 2024: Bezos' Net Worth
As of December 17, 2024, Jeff Bezos' net worth was US$251 billion, making him the second wealthiest person in the world.
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