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Jeff Bezos

Founder and executive chair of Amazon and founder of Blue Origin^{Source [4]}^{Source [2]}

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Unclaimed profileLast verified Oct 2, 2026

About

Jeff Bezos is the founder of Amazon, which he incorporated in Washington in July 1994 and which began selling books on its website in July 1995. He has chaired Amazon's board since its founding, served as its CEO from May 1996 to July 2021 and as President for most of that period, and has been Executive Chair since Andy Jassy succeeded him as CEO in July 2021.^{Source [1]}^{Source [2]}^{Source [3]}

Before Amazon he worked on Wall Street. He joined Bankers Trust Company in April 1988 and became a Vice President there in February 1990, then worked at the investment firm D.E. Shaw & Co. from December 1990 to June 1994, becoming Senior Vice President in 1992. He holds a B.S. in electrical engineering and computer science from Princeton University.^{Source [1]}

Outside Amazon he founded the aerospace company Blue Origin in 2000 and owns it, and since October 2013 he has owned The Washington Post, which he bought for $250 million through Nash Holdings LLC, an entity separate from Amazon. He makes personal investments through Bezos Expeditions, whose listed holdings include Airbnb, Uber, Workday and Perplexity.^{Source [4]}^{Source [5]}^{Source [6]}^{Source [7]}^{Source [8]}^{Source [9]}

In February 2025 he co-founded the AI company Project Prometheus, later renamed Prometheus, with former Google X executive Vik Bajaj, and he has served as its co-CEO since November 2025. The company focuses on AI for engineering and manufacturing and said in June 2026 that it had raised $12 billion at a $41 billion valuation.^{Source [4]}^{Source [10]}^{Source [11]}^{Source [12]}

He also founded the Bezos Earth Fund, a $10 billion grant commitment on climate and nature that he chairs, and the Bezos Day One Fund, a $2 billion commitment focused on homelessness and preschools in low-income communities.^{Source [4]}

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Career

1994 to now

2000 to now

2013 to now

2025 to now

1 company has no public dates yet, so it is listed below but not charted.

Company	Years	Role	Status
Project Prometheus Co-founded the AI company with Vik Bajaj in February 2025, according to Amazon's 2026 proxy statement, and has been co-CEO since November 2025, when the company was announced publicly with $6.2 billion in reported funding.^{Source [4]}^{Source [11]}^{Source [10]} Took the co-CEO role in November 2025, his first CEO title since leaving Amazon's top job in 2021.^{Source [4]}^{Source [10]} Set the company's focus on AI that learns from the physical world to support engineering and manufacturing in areas such as vehicles and spacecraft.^{Source [11]}^{Source [10]} Announced with Bajaj in June 2026 a $12 billion Series B round at a $41 billion valuation and said the company has no corporate ties to Amazon or Blue Origin.^{Source [12]} Suggest a correction to Project Prometheus	2025 to now	Co-founder^{Source [4]}^{Source [11]}Co-CEO^{Source [4]}	Active
Bezos Expeditions Makes personal investments through Bezos Expeditions, which led a 2025 strategic investment in Toloka.^{Source [9]}^{Source [14]}^{Source [13]} Invested in 37signals, maker of Basecamp, through Bezos Expeditions in 2006.^{Source [15]} Led a strategic investment in Nebius Group's AI data business Toloka in May 2025.^{Source [9]} The firm's website lists selected investments including Airbnb, Anduril, Perplexity, Physical Intelligence, Stack Overflow, Uber and Workday.^{Source [8]} Suggest a correction to Bezos Expeditions	Undated	Founder^{Source [13]}^{Source [9]}	Active
The Washington Post Bought the newspaper's publishing business for $250 million through Nash Holdings LLC, an entity belonging to him personally and not to Amazon, in a sale that closed on October 1, 2013.^{Source [6]}^{Source [16]}^{Source [7]} Signed the agreement to buy the Post and related publishing businesses from The Washington Post Company on August 5, 2013, and asked its top editors and executives to stay on.^{Source [6]} Remains the owner as of 2026; Amazon discloses its advertising and content dealings with the Post as related-party transactions.^{Source [4]} The Post cut about one-third of its staff in February 2026, after which publisher Will Lewis left and CFO Jeff D'Onofrio became acting publisher and CEO.^{Source [17]}^{Source [18]} Suggest a correction to The Washington Post	2013 to now	Owner^{Source [7]}^{Source [6]}^{Source [4]}	Acquired
Blue Origin Founded the aerospace company in 2000 and owns it; Amazon's proxy statements disclose its dealings with Blue Origin as related-party transactions.^{Source [5]}^{Source [4]}^{Source [19]} Flew to space on New Shepard's first crewed flight on July 20, 2021.^{Source [20]} Holds the title of founder rather than CEO; Dave Limp, formerly of Amazon, became CEO in December 2023.^{Source [10]}^{Source [21]} During his ownership the company won a NASA lunar lander contract in May 2023 and flew its orbital New Glenn rocket for the first time in January 2025.^{Source [22]}^{Source [23]} Suggest a correction to Blue Origin	2000 to now	Founder^{Source [4]}^{Source [5]}^{Source [19]}Owner^{Source [4]}	Active
Amazon Worked at the investment firm D.E. Shaw & Co. from December 1990 to June 1994, becoming Senior Vice President in 1992, before founding Amazon in 1994. He was CEO from May 1996 to July 2021 (and President for most of that time), then became Executive Chair when Andy Jassy succeeded him as CEO.^{Source [1]}^{Source [2]}^{Source [3]} Launched the online bookstore in July 1995 and took the company public in May 1997.^{Source [1]} As CEO, oversaw acquisitions including Zappos (2009), Twitch (2014), Whole Foods Market (2017) and Ring (2018).^{Source [24]}^{Source [25]}^{Source [26]}^{Source [27]} Handed the CEO role to Andy Jassy in July 2021 and became Executive Chair.^{Source [3]}^{Source [2]} Has never received stock-based compensation from Amazon; his base salary was $81,840 in 2025.^{Source [4]} Suggest a correction to Amazon	1994 to now	Founder^{Source [2]}^{Source [4]}Chair of the Board^{Source [2]}^{Source [4]}President^{Source [2]}^{Source [4]}CEO^{Source [2]}^{Source [4]}^{Source [1]}Executive Chair^{Source [2]}^{Source [4]}^{Source [3]}	IPO

Milestones

2026-06Prometheus, the AI company he co-leads, announced a $12 billion Series B round at a $41 billion valuation.^{Source [12]}
2025-11Became co-CEO of Project Prometheus.^{Source [4]}^{Source [10]}
2025-02Co-founded the AI company Project Prometheus with Vik Bajaj.^{Source [4]}
2021-07-20Flew to space on Blue Origin's first crewed New Shepard flight.^{Source [20]}
2021-07Stepped down as Amazon CEO and became Executive Chair.^{Source [2]}^{Source [3]}
2013-10-01Completed the purchase of The Washington Post through Nash Holdings LLC for $250 million.^{Source [7]}^{Source [6]}
2000Founded the aerospace company Blue Origin.^{Source [5]}^{Source [4]}
1999Named TIME's Person of the Year.^{Source [28]}
1997-05Took Amazon public.^{Source [1]}
1996-05Became Amazon's Chief Executive Officer.^{Source [1]}^{Source [2]}
1995-07Amazon began selling books on its website.^{Source [1]}
1994-07Founded Amazon, incorporated in Washington.^{Source [1]}
1990-12Joined D.E. Shaw & Co., becoming Senior Vice President in 1992.^{Source [1]}
1988-04Joined Bankers Trust Company.^{Source [1]}

Boards, investments and other roles

Organization	Role	Years
Bezos Earth FundNonprofit	Founder and Executive Chair^{Source [4]}
Bezos Day One FundNonprofit	Founder^{Source [4]}
D.E. Shaw & Co.Other	Senior Vice President (employee from December 1990)^{Source [1]}	1990 to 1994
Bankers Trust CompanyOther	Vice President (employee from April 1988)^{Source [1]}	1988 to 1990

Education

Princeton University, B.S., summa cum laude, Electrical engineering and computer science^{Source [1]}

Honors

TIME Person of the Year 1999^{Source [28]}

Links

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Sources

Amazon.com, Inc. initial public offering prospectus (Form 424B1), Amazon.com, Inc. via SEC EDGAR, 1997-05-15. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Amazon.com, Inc. Form 10-K for fiscal year 2025, Amazon.com, Inc. via SEC EDGAR, 2026-02-06. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Email from Jeff Bezos to employees, Amazon, 2021-02-02. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Amazon.com, Inc. 2026 Proxy Statement (DEF 14A), Amazon.com, Inc. via SEC EDGAR, 2026-04-09. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Amazon founder's space venture takes shape, NBC News (The Associated Press), 2005-12-26. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Jeffrey P. Bezos to Purchase The Washington Post (Exhibit 99.1), The Washington Post Company via SEC EDGAR, 2013-08-05. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
The Washington Post Company Form 8-K (completion of sale to Nash Holdings LLC), The Washington Post Company via SEC EDGAR, 2013-10-07. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Bezos Expeditions, Bezos Expeditions. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Nebius welcomes Bezos Expeditions as lead investor in AI data business Toloka (Exhibit 99.1 to Form 6-K), Nebius Group N.V. via SEC EDGAR, 2025-05-07. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
With a new company, Jeff Bezos will become a CEO again, Ars Technica, 2025-11-17. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Jeff Bezos will head a new engineering-focused AI startup called Project Prometheus, Engadget, 2025-11-17. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Jeff Bezos' startup Prometheus does not have any corporate ties with Amazon or Blue Origin, The Times of India, 2026-06-13. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Bezos Expeditions, Wikipedia. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Jeff Bezos, Wikipedia. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
37 Signals Takes Jeff Bezos Investment, TechCrunch, 2006-07-20. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
The Washington Post Company Form 8-K (letter agreement with Nash Holdings LLC), The Washington Post Company via SEC EDGAR, 2013-08-05. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Washington Post publisher Will Lewis announces departure, CNBC, 2026-02-07. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Washington Post begins sweeping layoffs, CBS News, 2026-02-04. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Blue Origin, Wikipedia. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Jeff Bezos reaches space on Blue Origin's first crewed launch, CNBC, 2021-07-20. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin to replace CEO Bob Smith with outgoing Amazon exec Dave Limp, CNBC, 2023-09-25. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
NASA Selects Blue Origin as Second Artemis Lunar Lander Provider, NASA, 2023-05-19. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Blue Origin's first New Glenn rocket reaches orbit, misses booster landing, CNBC, 2025-01-16. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Amazon.com, Inc. Form 10-K for fiscal year 2009, Amazon.com, Inc. via SEC EDGAR, 2010-01-29. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Amazon.com, Inc. Form 10-K for fiscal year 2014, Amazon.com, Inc. via SEC EDGAR, 2015-01-30. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Amazon.com, Inc. Form 10-K for fiscal year 2017, Amazon.com, Inc. via SEC EDGAR, 2018-02-02. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Amazon.com, Inc. Form 10-K for fiscal year 2018, Amazon.com, Inc. via SEC EDGAR, 2019-02-01. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Jeffrey Preston Bezos: 1999 Person of the Year, TIME, 1999-12-27. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.

History

Sep 28, 2026: Profile created from public sources (Founded editors)
Oct 2, 2026: Enriched with about, education, highlights, other roles, milestones, awards and links; added pre-Amazon employers as other roles (Founded editors)

Compiled by Founded editors from the cited public sources. Editorial policy / Request removal