Jeff Bezos’ Divorce Could Cost Him Hefty Chunk Of Net Worth, Amicable Or Otherwise
One of the richest people in the world, Jeff Bezos, and his wife MacKenzie are calling it quits after 25 years of marriage. The two were attempting a trial separation and ultimately decided that being apart was best for them.
The pair relied on Twitter to break the news Wednesday, just three days before his 55th birthday.
“We want to make people aware of a development in our lives… We’ve had such a great life together as a married couple, and we also see wonderful futures ahead, as parents, friends, partners in ventures and projects, and as individuals pursuing venture and adventures. Though the labels might be different, we remain a family and we remain cherished friends,” the two tweeted.
They are parting amicably, but things might not be as sugary sweet once negotiations over their $137 billion worth of assets are divided. The couple resides in Washington, which is a community property state. That means that any assets accrued during the marriage are to be split equitably – 50/50 – unless there is a prenup.
Together they own 400,000 acres of property and, according to TMZ, are two of the biggest landholders in the country. The couple last year launched a charitable fund together called the Day One Fund.
Jeff Bezos and Wife in $137 Billion Divorce https://t.co/eosqECESPG
— TMZ (@TMZ) January 9, 2019
There doesn’t appear to be a prenup though, and Bezos reportedly earned his millionaire status in 1997, TMZ reported. He currently sits in the top spot for the richest man in the world, $40 billion ahead of number two Bill Gates. Amazon is the most valuable company in the world, worth almost $810 billion.
“We feel incredibly lucky to have found each other and deeply grateful for every one of the years we have been married to each other,” the coupled tweeted. “If we had known we would separate after 25 years, we would do it all again.”
Bezos, 54, is the epitome of an entrepreneur, having founded Amazon.com of which he still serves as chief executive officer. He also owns the Washington Post. The two met in bustling New York when he was working as vice president of a hedge fund. Bezos had interviewed MacKenzie Bezos for a job there.
A romance quickly bloomed and they married in 1993. Shocking everyone, they quit their lucrative Wall Street jobs and relocated to Seattle where Bezos launched an online book store out of his garage, the seed that eventually grew into Amazon.
They both graduated from Princeton but didn’t cross paths there since he is six years older than her. MacKenzie Bezos is a renown novelist who studied under Toni Morrison and won an American Book Award in 2006 for The Testing of Luther Albright. She also serves as the executive director of an anti-bullying organization called Bystander Revolution.
The couple has four children ranging in age from 13 to 18.
