Jeff Bezos
Entrepreneur and investor · Entrepreneur · Investor · Aerospace founder · Media proprietor
b. 1964 · Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States · 3 min read
- Last verified: 12 November 2026
- Sources: 5
- Reviewed by Muse — Phase C second review (independent check)
American entrepreneur who founded Amazon in 1994, building it from an online bookstore into a global e-commerce and cloud computing company, and founded the spaceflight company Blue Origin in 2000.
Early Life
Jeffrey Preston Jorgensen was born on 12 January 1964 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His mother, Jacklyn, was a teenager when he was born, and his father left the family when he was young. When he was four, his mother married Miguel Bezos, a Cuban immigrant who worked as an engineer for Exxon, and Jeff took his stepfather's surname. The family lived in Houston, Texas, and later Miami, Florida. As a boy he spent summers on his grandparents' ranch in Texas, where he worked with machinery and took apart and rebuilt things. He was a strong student in science and mathematics and was his high school's valedictorian.
Education
Bezos attended Princeton University, where he first studied physics and then switched to electrical engineering and computer science. He graduated summa cum laude in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Career
After graduating from Princeton University in 1986, Bezos worked in finance in New York, first at Fitel and Bankers Trust, then at the investment firm D. E. Shaw & Co., where he became a senior vice president. In 1994 he left D. E. Shaw, drove across the United States to Seattle, and founded Amazon.com on 5 July 1994 in Bellevue, Washington, writing the business plan on the journey. The site opened as an online bookstore in July 1995 and sold its first book that month; Amazon went public in May 1997. Under Bezos it expanded from books into music, electronics, cloud computing through Amazon Web Services, and consumer devices such as the Kindle. He founded Blue Origin in 2000, bought The Washington Post in 2013, and created the Day 1 Fund in 2018 and the Bezos Earth Fund in 2020. On 5 July 2021 he stepped down as Amazon's chief executive, succeeded by Andy Jassy, and became executive chairman. Fifteen days later he flew into space aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard.
Achievements
Bezos's central achievement is Amazon. Founded in 1994 as an online bookstore run from a rented garage in Bellevue, Washington, it grew under him into one of the world's largest retailers and, through Amazon Web Services, a leading cloud computing company. He built it on a long-term approach — reinvesting profits, expanding from books into almost every category of goods, and creating services such as Marketplace, Prime and the Kindle. Outside Amazon he founded Blue Origin in 2000, a spaceflight company working on reusable rockets, and flew aboard its New Shepard vehicle on 20 July 2021. He bought The Washington Post in 2013, and in 2020 created the Bezos Earth Fund to support work on climate and nature. He was named TIME Magazine's Person of the Year in 1999.
Legacy
Bezos is remembered as the founder who turned the internet into a shop. Amazon began as a bookstore and became the model for online retail: wide selection, low prices, fast delivery and customer reviews. Amazon Web Services, built to support Amazon's own operations, became a central piece of the internet's infrastructure. Blue Origin made him one of the private spaceflight pioneers, and his purchase of The Washington Post made him a newspaper owner. His management ideas, including a focus on the customer and on long-term thinking over short-term profit, are widely studied in business.
Major Achievements
- Founded Amazon in 1994 as an online bookstore and built it into one of the world's largest e-commerce and cloud computing companies
- Oversaw the launch of Amazon Web Services, which became a leading cloud computing platform
- Founded the aerospace company Blue Origin in 2000 to develop reusable rockets and lower the cost of spaceflight
- Bought The Washington Post in 2013
- Named TIME Magazine's Person of the Year in 1999
- Flew into space aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard on 20 July 2021, on the vehicle's first crewed flight
- Served as Amazon's chief executive from 1996 to 2021, then became its executive chairman
- Created the Bezos Earth Fund in 2020 to fund work on climate and nature, and the Day 1 Fund in 2018 for homeless families and preschools
Contributions
Bezos changed how people buy things. Amazon showed that a retailer could hold almost no shops and still offer more choice than any shop, and its systems for ordering, delivery and reviews became the pattern for e-commerce worldwide. Amazon Web Services turned the computing infrastructure Amazon had built for itself into a service other companies could rent, making cloud computing a standard part of running a business. With Blue Origin he helped open spaceflight to private companies, arguing that reusable rockets would lower its cost. His purchase of The Washington Post in 2013 kept a major American newspaper under private ownership at a time when newspapers were losing money.
Notable Works
- Amazon.com (1994)
- Amazon Web Services (2006)
- Kindle (2007)
- Blue Origin (2000)
- The Washington Post (owner since 2013)
Milestones
- 1964 — Born on 12 January in Albuquerque, New Mexico Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
- 1986 — Graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with a degree in electrical engineering and computer science Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Amazon
- 1992 — Became a senior vice president at the investment firm D. E. Shaw & Co. Source: Wikipedia
- 1994 — Left D. E. Shaw and founded Amazon.com on 5 July in Bellevue, Washington Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Amazon
- 1995 — Amazon.com opened as an online bookstore and sold its first book in July Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
- 1997 — Amazon held its initial public offering on 15 May Source: Wikipedia
- 1999 — Named TIME Magazine's Person of the Year Source: Amazon
- 2000 — Founded the aerospace company Blue Origin on 8 September Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
- 2006 — Amazon Web Services launched Source: Wikipedia
- 2013 — Announced the purchase of The Washington Post for $250 million Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
- 2018 — Created the Day 1 Fund for homeless families and preschools Source: Wikipedia
- 2020 — Created the Bezos Earth Fund for climate and nature work Source: Wikipedia
- 2021 — Stepped down as Amazon chief executive on 5 July and became executive chairman Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Amazon
- 2021 — Flew into space aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard on 20 July, on its first crewed flight Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
Timeline
- 12 January 1964
Born Jeffrey Preston Jorgensen in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia - 1968
His mother married Miguel Bezos; Jeff took his stepfather's surname
Year only — exact date unknown Source: Wikipedia - 1982
Graduated as valedictorian of Miami Palmetto Senior High School
Year only — exact date unknown Source: Wikipedia - 1986
Graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with a degree in electrical engineering and computer science
Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Amazon - 5 July 1994
Founded Amazon.com in Bellevue, Washington
Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Amazon - 1995
Amazon.com opened as an online bookstore and sold its first book
Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia - 15 May 1997
Amazon held its initial public offering
Source: Wikipedia - 1999
Named TIME Magazine's Person of the Year
Year only — exact date unknown Source: Amazon - 8 September 2000
Founded the aerospace company Blue Origin
Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia - 5 August 2013
Announced the purchase of The Washington Post for $250 million
Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia - 2018
Created the Day 1 Fund for homeless families and preschools
Year only — exact date unknown Source: Wikipedia - 2020
Created the Bezos Earth Fund for climate and nature work
Year only — exact date unknown Source: Wikipedia - 5 July 2021
Stepped down as Amazon chief executive and became executive chairman; succeeded by Andy Jassy
Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Amazon - 20 July 2021
Flew into space aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard on its first crewed flight
Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
Related Personalities
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Jeff Bezos?
Jeff Bezos (born 12 January 1964 in Albuquerque, New Mexico) is an American entrepreneur who founded Amazon in 1994 and the spaceflight company Blue Origin in 2000. He was Amazon's chief executive until July 2021 and is now its executive chairman.
Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; AmazonHow did Jeff Bezos start Amazon?
Bezos left his job at the investment firm D. E. Shaw in 1994, drove from New York to Seattle, and founded Amazon.com on 5 July 1994 in Bellevue, Washington. The site opened as an online bookstore in July 1995.
Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; AmazonWhat is Blue Origin?
Blue Origin is the aerospace company Bezos founded in 2000 to develop reusable rockets and lower the cost of spaceflight. Its New Shepard vehicle carries people on short suborbital flights, and on 20 July 2021 Bezos flew aboard its first crewed flight.
Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; WikipediaDoes Jeff Bezos own The Washington Post?
Bezos bought The Washington Post in 2013 for $250 million, in a personal purchase from the Graham family. He has owned the newspaper since then.
Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; WikipediaWhen did Jeff Bezos step down as Amazon's chief executive?
On 5 July 2021 Bezos stepped down as Amazon's chief executive and became executive chairman. He was succeeded as chief executive by Andy Jassy, who had led Amazon Web Services.
Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; AmazonSources & References
- Jeff Bezos — Encyclopaedia Britannica — Encyclopaedia Britannica (accessed 12 November 2026)
- Jeff Bezos — Wikipedia — Wikipedia (accessed 12 November 2026)
- Jeffrey P. Bezos — Amazon Investor Relations (official biography) — Amazon.com, Inc. (accessed 12 November 2026)
- Bezos, Jeffrey Preston — Encyclopedia.com — Encyclopedia.com (accessed 12 November 2026)
- File:Jeff Bezos at Amazon Spheres Grand Opening in Seattle - 2018 (39074799225) (cropped).jpg — Wikimedia Commons (portrait file page) — Wikimedia Commons (accessed 12 November 2026)
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