Prime Day—Amazon’s exclusive annual sale for Prime members—is coming up on July 11 and 12, 2023. With more than 200 million subscribers globally, Prime Day usually clocks some impressive sales numbers. In 2022, Prime Day sales brought in $12 billion for Amazon (AMZN). The world’s largest online retailer, Amazon’s success is one of the main factors behind founder Jeff Bezos’ billions. In fact, Prime Day sales were a driving force behind him being named the richest person on earth in 2018.

Amazon’s former CEO and current executive chair has a net worth of $153 billion as of July 2023, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The third richest person in the world in 2023, Bezos’ has over 10% of stake in Amazon, and owns The Washington Post, space exploration company Blue Origin, and has investments in real estate and other companies. The Amazon founder was the richest person on Earth from 2018 to 2021—in July 2021, Bezos's net worth was a record $210 billion.

He Founded Amazon

As Amazon's founder and former CEO, Bezos helped build the world’s largest online retailer. In FY 2022, Amazon made $514 billion in net sales. The company accounted for 6.5% of all U.S. retail sales and 44.9% of digital retail spending in 2022. According to Amazon’s 2022 annual meeting announcement, Bezos owns more than 64.5 million shares in the company, a 12.7% stake.

He founded Amazon in 1994 out of his garage with a $10,000 investment and help from his now ex-wife Mackenzie Scott. Scott received a 4% stake in Amazon, worth $36 billion, at the time of their divorce in 2019. Bezos stepped down as the CEO of Amazon in 2021 but has stayed on as the executive chair.

Other Companies Owned by Bezos

Bezos bought The Washington Post for $250 million in 2013, after which the site’s traffic and audience skyrocketed, beating The New York Times for the first time in terms of unique web viewers in the U.S.

The space exploration company, Blue Origin, is another company Bezos founded. It was among the first commercial companies to launch a reusable rocket in 2016. As of July 2023, Blue Origin is looking to establish a launch site outside of the U.S. and is looking at partnerships in Europe and other countries, according to Financial Times. In 2021, Bezos was part of Blue Origin’s first successful crewed flight to space, which reached an altitude just above 62 miles before landing. 

Investments in Big Tech Companies

Bezos is invested in other big tech companies beyond Amazon. In 2013, Bezos invested more than $30 million in leading rideshare app Uber (UBER), which went public in 2019 and reported a total of $31.9 billion in revenue in 2022. One of Bezos notable investments was in cloud human resources company, Workday Inc (WDAY). After Bezos’ investment in the company, Workday went public in an initial public offering (IPO) that brought in more than $684 million in 2013. Nextdoor (KIND), Airbnb (ABNB), X Corp. (formerly Twitter), and Business Insider are some other companies in Bezos portfolio.

An Extensive Real Estate Portfolio

Multiple homes in Beverly Hills, California is just the tip of the Bezos's extensive real estate portfolio that is worth millions. Among them is the historic Jack Warner Estate, which Bezos bought for a record-setting $165 million in 2020.

Bezos owns several apartments in New York City—he bought three apartments in Manhattan overlooking Madison Square Park for $80 million in 2019. It was one of the most expensive real estate transactions in New York City that year, according to The Wall Street Journal. 

The Amazon founder also owns a 165,000-acre ranch in Texas, serving as Blue Origin's base. Bezos also owns a 417-foot yacht that cost over $500 million to build, according to Bloomberg.

Charitable Acts

In 2022, Bezos said he will give most of his money to charity during his lifetime. Specifically he hopes to help fight climate change and heal social and political division in the world. To those ends, Bezos founded the charitable organizations Bezos Day One Fund and the Bezos Family Foundation, which provides academic grants and scholarships. He also founded the Bezos Earth Fund with a commitment of $10 billion for grants to address climate change and sustainability.