A nerdy computer scientist and electrical engineer, as Bezos himself calls himself, could work on Wall Street, but traded that future for the precarious prospects of an internet startup. In 1995, an online bookstore Amazon appeared, which grew into an empire and now sells and delivers not only books, but also any goods - from shoes to household appliances. Without the existence of Amazon, no American can imagine life.
The whole world is discussing the billions of dollars that Bezos earned by the age of 54. According to Forbes, Bezos' capital has doubled in the last year alone and reached $ 160 billion. In September, Amazon became the second largest company in the world after Apple with a capitalization of over $ 1 trillion. 560 thousand employees of this "empire" serve 100 million Amazon Prime subscribers around the clock.
© David Ryder / Getty Images
Jeff Bezos is nowhere near as noisy as Elon Musk, and is not at all like his main competitor in the Forbes 400 rating - Bill Gates, intelligent to the bone. The head of Amazon was not caught on hooliganism, his sense of humor is peculiar, his lifestyle can be called exemplary in the meaning of "quiet", but not devoid of excesses. Bezos has five mansions in the United States and the status of the 25th largest landowner in the country.
Life and customs
The richest man in history believes in good sleep. He wakes up every morning without the aid of an alarm clock. His day begins by preparing a "healthy" breakfast for his wife, writer Mackenzie Bezos.
Jeff Bezos and Mackenzie Bezos © Matthew Staver / Bloomberg via Getty Images
By the way, they have been married for 24 years. Before meeting Mackenzie, Bezos tried to establish his personal life more than once and even went on blind dates. However, all attempts did not bring the desired result: Bezos wanted to find not just a partner in marriage, but an inspirer. “I needed a woman who could get me out of a prison of imperfection (literally -“out of a Third World prison”), help with ideas and bring them to life,” the businessman admitted.
He devotes the morning time entirely to his family, wife and four children. After observing this ritual, Bezos gives himself up to work.
The rule of two pizzas
Bezos doesn't do well at board meetings or meetings with investors, so he tries to keep such events to a minimum, reducing their number to six hours a year. He organizes meetings according to the "rule of two pizzas" - if the group of gathered people does not have enough people to fill this dish in the amount of two, the meeting will not take place.
"If you can't feed the team with two pizzas, then there are too many people," Bezos explained.
© DPA / TASS
Gastronomic quirks
The billionaire has unusual eating habits. It's not about white wine oysters, or lobsters, or even molecular cuisine. Once, meeting with the founder of the Dallas online store Woot, Matt Rutledge, he ordered himself a "super breakfast". Bezos was brought an octopus with potatoes, bacon, green garlic yogurt and eggs. “When I look at the menu, I want to choose something that I have never tried,” the businessman explained. "For example, I've never had an octopus for breakfast."
Another ritual that is inextricably linked with nutrition is washing dishes after dinner. Bezos never allows himself to miss this ceremony: "I'm pretty sure this is the sexiest thing I've ever done."
Star Trek
Amazon is now engaged in not only sales with delivery, but also the creation of entertainment content - the studio has already released the series "The Man in the High Castle" and "The Obvious", and also began work on the series on the universe of "The Lord of the Rings". Bezos himself is a fan of the Star Trek franchise, one of a large army of so-called Trekkies. In 2016, the head of the largest Internet company even starred in the next part of the restart of the Star Trek franchise. Infinity".
True, you can't recognize him in makeup.
Space hobbies
In addition to worshiping Star Trek, Bezos has another passion related to the infinity of space. He searches for sunken parts of NASA rockets in the depths of the ocean in submarines and often takes his children with him on these adventures.
In addition, Bezos seeks to contribute to the development of the space industry and lead humanity to distant worlds. He owns the aerospace company Blue Origin, which he created in 2000 to develop space tourism. Its successes are not as loudly discussed as that of Elon Musk's SpaceX, which is unfair. The New Shepard 2 rocket was tested in 2016, making suborbital flights and landings, the New Shepard 3 reusable system proved to be operational in 2017 and 2018. Under Bezos's direction, Blue Origin is planning a lunar landing in 2020. “Space is the final frontier. See you there,”he once said, turning the Star Trek motto into a call to action.
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Almost Tony Stark
Bezos' wardrobe grows along with his business, says Joseph Rosenfeld, personal style consultant in Silicon Valley. “He (Bezos) does something with his own style that sets him apart from the rest of the tech world. We see him focusing on the traditional wardrobe, combining it favorably with modernity and minimalism,”says the stylist.
One day, Bezos appeared in public in a gym-flip sleeveless top and sunglasses, earning comparisons to popular Hollywood actor and former wrestler Dwayne Johnson.
© Drew Angerer / Getty Images
Bezos has also not avoided comparisons with the comic book superhero Tony Stark. In November 2017, he arrived at Summit LA17 wearing jeans, a polo and a leather jacket, which immediately reminded the audience of the Iron Man image.
Ulysse Nardin Dual Time watches on the wrists, Garrett Leight Van Buren sunglasses, jeans, cowboy boots or sneakers in Bezos' wardrobe do not prevent the businessman from putting on well-tailored suits for official meetings and performances.
© Mark Wilson / Getty Images
Sharp objects
Raising four children is not an easy job for any parent. Bezos can hardly be called a very cautious person - they do not run companies with a trillion dollar capitalization. Mackenzie, as the inspiration for her husband, matches his character and supports his ideas. These provisions also apply to the approach to raising children. For example, Bezos allowed the heirs to use sharp knives from the age of four. Nobody hid electrical appliances from the little Bezos either.
Parents are sure that this way their children will be able to know the world much earlier and get used to its structure. “I would rather be the father of a child with nine fingers than a child who has no way of knowing the world,” says Bezos.
Parent contribution
Jackie and Mike Bezos - Bezos' parents - were among the first to invest in their son's startup. They invested about $ 245,000 in Amazon in 1995. Their fortune has not been disclosed since the end of 1999 - it is only known that between 2001 and 2016 they transferred 595 thousand shares to the Bezos Family Foundation, a fund that specializes in supporting educational initiatives. As of today, the fortune of the senior Bezos couple, according to Bloomberg estimates, may be about $ 30 billion. The exact figures have not been disclosed.
Jackie Bezos, Mike Bezos and Laurie Tish © Clint Spaulding / Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
Harmony preacher
Unlike Apple CEO Tim Cook, who literally lives at work, waking up to the dawn and sending employees early motivational mail, Bezos is a proponent of work-life balance.
“I prefer not“balance”, but“harmony”in this context, - he clarifies. - Work and personal life should be independent of each other and at the same time complementary, like yin and yang. In fact, if I'm happy at work, I'm happy at home. I am the best husband and the best father. If I am happy at home, then I come to work energetic. I am the best employee and the best colleague. ">