7 Things You Didn't Know About Jeff Bezos
In short – Jeff Bezos is the man behind Amazon, the largest e-retailer in the world. This Trailblazer is said by some to be the worlds wealthiest person right now. Despite a difficult start in life, Jeff combined his intelligence with tenacity to create one of the most forward-thinking companies out there and he’s only just getting started apparently…
#1
His ‘Dad’ wasn’t his Dad
Jeff’s birth name was Jeffery Preston Jorgensen, born 12th Jan 1964 to Jacklyn Jorgensen and Ted Jorgensen. They got divorced after only being married for one year. His mother later on married Miguel “Mike” Bezos, who adopted Jeff legally at the age of 4.
#2
Almost involved in a fatal accident
Back in 2003 Jeff was involved in a helicopter crash that left him with numerous lacerations to his head. Apparently, during the accident he said instead of seeing his life flash before his eyes, he thought what a silly way it would be to die this would be! Needless to say he now avoids transport by helicopter.
#3
Bezos bought a newspaper
No, Jeff doesn’t own Trailblazer, but he does own The Washington Post, which he bought for $250 million in 2013. He later wrote in the post to state his intention of keeping things the same, but future changes were inevitable.
#4
Fell in love with someone at work
Whilst working at D.E. Shaw, an investment management firm on Wall Street, Jeff formed a relationship with Mackenzie (Tuttle). They ended up getting married in 1993 and a year later moved to Seattle to start a little company now known as Amazon. They are still married to this day.
#5
Amazon.com wasn’t its first name
Before settling on Amazon.com, the company went by such names as Cadabra and Relentless.com. Funnily enough, Amazon.com was named after the South American River and the logo bares an arrow from A-Z, which cleverly indicates that customers are able to buy anything from A-Z.
#6
Richest man in the world
Is he? Quite honestly nobody knows for sure, but there are always reports that he’s now wealthier than Microsoft’s Bill Gates. Earlier this year Bloomberg’s billionaire tracker claimed that Bezos is worth $105.1 Billion, similarly, Forbes placed his wealth at $104.4 Billion. Either way… he is comfortably one of the wealthiest people in the world.
#7
What’s next…
Bezos, like all Trailblazers, has great foresight and knows where he wants to be. His latest project, Amazon Prime Air, involves the use of drones to deliver products and services. However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) hasn’t yet approved the project due to strict regulations surrounding the use of drones for commercial purposes. Bezos is said to still be hopeful that it will happen in the next few years.
