Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos Split Up; Divorce Worth $137 Billion
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Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos met back in 1992 when he hired her for a job while he was a hedge fund manager on Wall Street. The two were married within 6 months. This was, of course, before Amazon became the ecommerce behemoth that it is today. At the time, Bezos had no idea what kind of wealth he would be amassing, so there was no prenuptial agreement and that’s coming back to bite him now.
After being married for 25 years and having 4 children, the couple has decided to call it quits and get a divorce after a trial separation period. This, however, is a matter of concern to Amazon shareholders due to the lack of a prenuptial agreement. Jeff Bezos will likely have to divide his assets a fair bit and give possession of them to MacKenzie.
The two had made Washington state their primary residence, despite owning several homes. This has led many to believe that the two will file for the divorce from there. According to the laws of the state, the assets will be split 50-50.
The larger part of Jeff Bezos’ net worth is comprised by his ownership stake in Amazon with 16 percent shares of the company valued at $130 billion. These shares are likely going to be at stake in this divorce, meaning that Jeff Bezos would be just another shareholder in the company and not have the majority stake. There are also concerns regarding how MacKenzie would manage the shares herself. If she began selling them en masse, this would only add to the concerns of shareholders.
While Jeff Bezos has shared that the two are parting on amicable terms, there have been reports by various media outlets that he had an affair during the trial separation with TV host Lauren Sanchez. In September, he celebrated his 25th wedding anniversary with MacKenzie, but not long after this, in October, he was spotted with a woman who closely resembled Sanchez.
Additionally, shareholders at Amazon are also concerned about how Bezos will continue to run the company amidst this personal crisis, seeing as he is the chairman and CEO of the company and the driving force behind the company since its inception. There are doubts regarding his ability to steer the company while settling his divorce. At this point, all anyone can do is wait and see.