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 global leader in e-commerce and cloud computing. As of May 2025, his estimated net worth is $220.9 billion, ranking him as the third-richest person worldwide, after holding the top position from 2017 to 2021.

Sections (6)

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

1982: Awards and Speech

In 1982, Bezos was high school valedictorian, a National Merit Scholar, and a Silver Knight Award winner. In his graduation speech, Bezos spoke of his dream to colonize space.

1997: Became a Millionaire

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

1999: Bill Gates First Centibillionaire

Bill Gates became the first centibillionaire in 1999.

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

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

2005: Increase in net worth

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

2007: Quadrupled net worth

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

2010: Wealth increase

In 2010, Jeff Bezos's wealth rose by 85.2%, leaving him with $12.6 billion.

September 2011: Blue Origin Prototype Vehicle Crash

In September 2011, an uncrewed prototype vehicle from Blue Origin crashed during a short-hop test flight, which was considered a setback despite the company's progress in spaceflight.

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 rose

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

2015: New Shepard Reaches Space

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

2015: Announcement of New Orbital Launch Vehicle

In 2015, Jeff Bezos announced the development of a new orbital launch vehicle with the first flight planned for the late 2010s. Also in November 2015, Blue Origin's New Shepard successfully reached space.

March 2016: Net worth recorded

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

October 2016: Wealth increased

In October 2016, Jeff Bezos's wealth increased by $16.2 billion to $66.5 billion.

2016: Wealth Growth

From 2016 to 2017, Jeff Bezos' wealth experienced rapid growth, sparking discussions about his earnings on a reduced time scale.

January 2017: $33.6 Billion Increase in Net Worth

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

July 2017: Briefly unseated Bill Gates

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

July 27, 2017: Momentarily Became Wealthiest Person

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

October 10, 2017: Estimated $6.24 Billion Earned in 5 Minutes

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

October 2017: Sporadically Surpassing Bill Gates

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

November 24, 2017: Wealth Surpassed $100 Billion

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

December 2017: New Shepard Flies and Lands 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 to late 2018.

2017: Wealthiest Person

In 2017, according to Forbes and the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Jeff Bezos became the wealthiest person.

January 2018: $33.6 Billion Increase in Net Worth

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

February 1, 2018: Amazon's Highest Profit

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

March 6, 2018: Officially 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 2018: $150 Billion Net Worth

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

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: Wage Increase Announcement

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

November 2018: New Shepard to begin transporting humans

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

August 2020: Net Worth Exceeds $200 Billion

In August 2020, Bezos had a net worth exceeding $200 billion.

July 2021: Bezos Announces 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 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, nine days after Richard Branson's flight. The suborbital flight lasted over 10 minutes.

2021: Wealthiest Person

Jeff Bezos was the wealthiest person up until 2021, according to Forbes and the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

2023: Wealth Ranking in America and the World

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

February 2024: Net Worth Update

As of February 2024, Jeff Bezos's net worth is about $197 billion, according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, making him the second-wealthiest person in the world.