Amazon’s Jeff Bezos is the richest man in the world. Even if you don’t own any Amazon products, you likely know who he is, either because of his incredible career or his space flight in July of 2021. With a net worth of $166 billion, he will never have to think about money again in his life, and neither will his kids.
That being said, what does a man this filthy rich actually spend his money on? Does the Amazon founder drop it all on lavish vacations and holiday homes, or do his purchases extend way beyond the usual choices of the world’s elite?
1. Cruising the Aegean Sea
Year Purchased: 2021
Estimated Value: $70 million* (Price of Eos yacht)
Before Jeff Bezos went to space in 2021, he went on a cruise. He was spotted visiting the Greek Islands aboard a super-luxurious yacht. He went on a cruise of the beautiful Aegean Sea, and he was spotted having dinner at Omega3, a cosmopolitan restaurant in Platis Gialos, located on Sifnos, a Cycladic Island.
2. Dog sledding above the Arctic Circle in Norway
Year Purchased: 2018
Estimated Value: $150-$250*
The Arctic Circle runs straight through the middle of Norway, and it is one of the country’s biggest tourist attractions. Not everyone can afford to travel there, but Jeff Bezos certainly can. The billionaire not only took a vacation there; he also dog-sledded, posting a lot of pictures from his vacation.
Bezos talked about going dog sledding above the Norwegian Arctic Circle, saying on Twitter that it inspired him to “go to space to save the Earth.” He said that he believes Earth is the solar system’s “best planet,” and we have “no plan B” to save it.
3. A “robot dog”
Year Purchased: 2018
Estimated Value: $75,000*
Robots of any kind are impressive and worthy of a few thousand dollars, but what about a robot dog? They aren’t quite as easy to cuddle up with at night, but that didn’t stop Boston Dynamics from creating the SpotMini. Jeff was pictured with the new dog in 2018.
It’s thought that Spot costs around $75,000, but what do you get for that price? Apparently, a 55-pound pooch can race around the garden for 90 minutes before needing to be charged up again. Doesn’t sound quite as fun as Fido, does he?
4. Wimbledon Tickets
Year Purchased: 2019
Estimated Value: $1,300 per day*
Jeff Bezos made his public debut with his new girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez, in 2019. He and Sanchez attended the men’s Wimbledon final, which saw a thrilling match between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. He and his girlfriend sat right behind the Royal Family during their five-hour viewing of the match.
Wimbledon tickets aren’t cheap, especially if you’re sitting in the front row. Celebrities, from actors to musicians to CEOs, have been seen at the famed tennis match, smiling for the camera. Tickets can cost up to $1,300 a day for the best seats in the house, like the ones Bezos and Sanchez had.
5. 11-Minute Flight to Space
Year Purchased: 2021
Estimated Value: $4.4 billion*
Jeff Bezos described his adventure in his Blue Origin New Shepard capsule, which is autonomous and doesn’t require a pilot, as “the best day ever.” The eleven-minute spaceflight included the billionaire and three crew members, one of which was the oldest person to travel to space and the other the youngest.
Wimbledon tickets aren’t cheap, especially if you’re sitting in the front row. Celebrities, from actors to musicians to CEOs, have been seen at the famed tennis match, smiling for the camera. Tickets can cost up to $1,300 a day for the best seats in the house, like the ones Bezos and Sanchez had.
5. 11-Minute Flight to Space
Year Purchased: 2021
Estimated Value: $4.4 billion*
Jeff Bezos described his adventure in his Blue Origin New Shepard capsule, which is autonomous and doesn’t require a pilot, as “the best day ever.” The eleven-minute spaceflight included the billionaire and three crew members, one of which was the oldest person to travel to space and the other the youngest.
The spaceflight cost $4.4 billion. Bezos’ entire flight was eleven minutes, but he only spent three of them actually in space. The flight wasn’t overly risky, as the New Shepard capsule had never had an accident in fifteen spaceflight tests. Blue Origin was founded in 2000, and, twenty-one years later, Bezos saw the fruits of his company’s labor.
6. Wind Farm in Ireland
Year Purchased: 2021-2022
Estimated Value: $23 million*
Jeff Bezos recently stepped down from his position as the head of Amazon to focus on his more pressing interests: space travel and eco-friendly energy generation. He’s attempting to achieve the latter through three wind farms which are located in the remote Irish town of Esk, near Balligree.
The 23-megawatt farms are the first to be built using all-private funding. Bezos commissioned the windfarms in the hopes of using power to offset carbon emissions that Amazon data centers, also located in Ireland, emit. The first of the three wind farms opened in 2021. The other two are expected to become operational by 2022.
7. Four City Blocks in Seattle
Year Purchased: 2012
Estimated Value: Part of the $4 billion Amazon campus*
In order to make the huge Amazon campus that he dreamed of, Jeff had to buy the land first. Incredibly, the Amazon campus in Seattle runs across four whole blocks. That’s an incredibly large area of land that would have cost a fortune to purchase.
It’s not clear just how much Bezos spent on it, but it would have been an eye-watering amount of money. Still, every tech giant needs its state-of-the-art HQ and Amazon wasn’t about to fall behind when everyone else was racing forward.
8. Google
Year Purchased: 1998
Estimated Value: $1.885 trillion*
Google currently has a market cap of nearly $2 trillion, making it one of few companies to achieve this feat. In 1998, things looked a lot differently for Google. The tech company’s headquarters, run by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, were in a garage in Menlo Park, California.
Jeff Bezos saw something in the tiny company, and he invested $250,000 into the venture. The investment in the startup is now up 20,000% today, and Bezos has cashed in on his now 3.3 million shares of stock. These shares are worth over $3 billion today. Bezos’ Google investment is yet another example of how his belief in tiny startups has made him billions.
9. Uber
Year Purchased: 2011
Estimated Value: $76.54 billion*
Though Amazon, as a company, has invested in Uber competitors, Jeff Bezos has his bet on a different horse. The tech billionaire put $3 million into the ride-sharing company, and he watched that investment pay off handsomely. Now, that paltry-seeming $3 million is worth around $400 million.
Bezos was one of the first investors in the app. Benchmark invested $30 million, and the company made $7.9 billion from its early investment. Bezos has an eye for good business opportunities, and he definitely placed the correct bet with this multi-million investment. Even Travis Kalanick, the ousted founder of Uber, made $9 billion from his 8.6% stake.
10. Whole Foods Market
Year Purchased: 2017
Estimated Value: $13.7 billion*
There’s a lot of money to be made in online groceries – and Jeff knows it. He’s been trying to break into the online grocery games since 2007, but despite creating AmazonFresh, it never really became a big player.
Jeff didn’t give up his dream though, and purchased Whole Foods through Amazon for $13.7 billion in 2017. This certainly helped boost Amazon’s position, but it’s still a big work in progress. Buying a trusted brand, Whole Foods, was a smart move on Jeff’s part and could be the key to future success.
11. Cowboy Hat and Boots
Year Purchased: 2021
Estimated Value: $350*
Jeff Bezos has often found himself in the position of accidental fashion influencer. Though he’s not that stylish, people copy what he wears, possibly in the hopes of becoming rich like him. When he went to space in 2021, Bezos picked a cowboy hat and cowboy boots for his journey.
As GQ joked, he looked like a “sci-fi supervillain.” Perhaps the Western garb was a symbol of the new frontier that Bezos is trying to breach: space. The billionaire hopes to relieve some of the climate and ecological tension on earth by relocating people to space. His famous cowboy hat is a Billabong X Wrangler Rancher Wool Hat, and his boots are from the JB Hill Boot Company.
12. Financed the Recovery of Apollo booster-rocket engines from the Atlantic Ocean
Year Purchased: 2013
Estimated Value: Unknown
The Saturn V salvage expedition was the recovery of Saturn V rockets that launched during the 1960s and 1970s. Five F-1 engines powered the first stages of the missions to the moon and Earth orbit during the beginnings of the space race. These engines were shed by the boosters during the trip, and they dropped into the Atlantic, where they sank to the bottom of the sea.
The engines were expected to remain at the seafloor where they had been discarded until Jeff Bezos stepped in. He financed the recovery of the Saturn V engines, and he found two of them. He intends to keep searching until the others are recovered.
13. Central Park West Apartment
Year Purchased: 2019
Estimated Value: $80 million for three of them*
Jeff Bezos owns four apartments in Manhattan, but his latest piece of real estate, located in a building where he owns $13 million in property, is one of his most impressive ventures. The billionaire owns four upscale apartments at 25 Central Park West, and he has plans to spend another $80 million on three NYC apartments.
Bezos started apartment hunting in 2019 after his divorce, and, as he is prone to doing, he bought all of the adjacent apartments next to the one he actually wanted. His habit of buying nearby real estate comes from wanting privacy and silence, something most of us can relate to.
14. Vacation in St. Barth’s
Year Purchased: 2019
Estimated Value: $600 million* (Rising Sun price)
The Caribbean is a popular hotspot for celebrities looking to vacation, and St. Barth’s is one of the most-visited locations by famous celebs. Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez were spotted vacationing in St. Barth’s in 2019. They even took a trip on Rising Sun, a superyacht owned by David Geffen.
The couple went with a group of other people, including Dasha Zhukova, a Russian businesswoman, and her friends. Since becoming an item a year before their St. Barth’s vacation, both Sanchez and Bezos finalized divorces from their exes. Their $600 million yacht vacation took place just a couple of days after Sanchez’s birthday.
15. Vacation in Rome, Italy
Year Purchased: 2017
Estimated Value: $3,774*
Back when Jeff Bezos was married to his ex-wife, Mackenzie, the pair vacationed all the time. Bezos went on a trip to Rome, Italy in 2017, and he and Mackenzie were spotted sunbathing and enjoying the sites in Italy like every other tourist.
Jeff, Mackenzie, and their family enjoyed outdoor shopping in Rome before they grabbed pizza at Campo dei Fiori, a popular Rome restaurant. They then toured Piazza Navona and its fountains, snapping pictures and smiling. The average price of a week-long trip to Rome is $3,774 for a family, which is small change to Bezos, who was worth $81 billion at the time.
16. 10,000-year clock
Year Purchased: 2018
Estimated Value: $42 million*
When you’re worth $153 billion, you have to think of new ways to spend your money. In 2018, Bezos came up with one of the strangest things known to man – although, it’s also very interesting. Jeff is building a 10,000-year clock known as “The Clock of the Long Now.” The clock is built to last and should tell time for the next 10,000 years.
It ticks just once a year and saves its chimes for once per millennium. Once it’s done, Jeff hopes to make it somewhat of a tourist attraction so the public can come and marvel at it. With an estimated value of $42 million, it’s certainly better than anything you can pick up at Target.
17. Superyacht
Year Purchased: 2021
Estimated Value: $500 million*
We know that Jeff has his own jet, but did you know that he spent half a billion on creating his very own superyacht? News of the lavish construction broke in 2021, with plans reporting that the boat will be 127 meters long when completed. Not only that, but it will have multiple decks and plenty of space for entertaining.
The boat took over two years to construct, which is hardly surprising given just how detailed the specification actually is. Bezos is no stranger to vacations in the best parts of the world, but now he’ll be able to enjoy the Seven Seas from the comfort of his very own moving hotel.
18. Gulfstream G-650ER
Year Purchased: Unknown
Estimated Value: $65 million*
As one of the world’s busiest businessmen, Jeff has to be able to travel at the drop of a hat. You won’t catch him sitting in coach on a commercial flight, because he has his very own private jet. Jeff has owned a luxurious Gulfstream G-650ER for several years now, but it didn’t come cheap.
He reportedly paid $65 million for the plane alone, before completely renovating the interior to make it more Bezos-friendly. It makes his business trips much easier, whether he’s flying to Amazon meetings or just heading to the beach for some downtime.
19. Divorce
Year Purchased: 2019
Estimated Value: $38 billion*
When news broke of Jeff’s divorce from his wife of almost 30 years, MacKenzie Scott, the world was eagerly awaiting news of what the settlement would be. MacKenzie and Jeff wed just one year before Amazon was founded, so she was there from the very start.
In the end, Jeff ended up parting with $38 billion, becoming the largest divorce settlement in history by a mile. Prior to their separation, the most expensive divorce record belonged to Alec and Jocelyn Wildenstein who settled on $5.9 billion (adjusted for inflation).
20. Personal Security
Year Purchased: 2012
Estimated Value: $1.6 million*
Being the world’s richest man might seem like a walk in the park, but Jeff has to worry about his personal safety for several reasons. As a public figure that’s incredibly wealthy, he’s open to all sorts of threats from many angles. That being said, his security bill isn’t quite as high as you may think.
Bezos reportedly spends around $1.6 million on personal security each year, which isn’t as much as some other tech CEOs. He did have bulletproof panels installed at his office as an extra precaution though. According to documents filed in 2018, this ended up costing around $180,000.
21. Ulysse Nardin Dual Time Watch
Year Purchased: 2020
Estimated Value: $9,000*
For Jeff Bezos, with his net worth in the hundreds of billions, a $9,000 watch really isn’t much of a purchase. Bezos owns a Ulysses Nardin Dual Time Watch, which is a Swiss-made sports watch. Though this watch isn’t worth tens or hundreds of thousands, it’s still a nice timepiece.
If you want to talk about super-expensive timekeeping equipment, Bezos doesn’t need to drop a lot of money on a watch. He already has a $42 million clock that he keeps in his home in a hollowed-out Texas mountain. The clock, known as the “10,000 Year Clock,” is powered by the thermal cycles of the earth, and it ticks only once a year.
22. Garrett Leight Van Buren Sunglasses
Year Purchased: Unknown
Estimated Value: $365*
Jeff isn’t exactly a man that is known to have impeccable fashion sense, but that doesn’t mean he ignores trends. In fact, Bezos has been spotted out and about wearing Garrett Leight Van Buren sunglasses. They may look like regular sunglasses to the average Joe, but these designer lenses actually cost $365.
Not only has Jeff managed to get himself a pair, but other fashion aficionados have also been pictured wearing them. Supermodel Bella Hadid has them in her style arsenal, as do several other famous people. These aren’t your average $5 Target pair.
23. Three Manhattan Apartments
Year Purchased: Circa 2020
Estimated Value: $80 million*
Most people like to splash out on a little treat when they wrap up a divorce, but that could just be a vacation. For Jeff Bezos, he added to his Manhattan apartment empire by buying a third penthouse suite above the two he already owned, taking the grand total to $80 million.
Located close to Madison Square Garden, the apartment was turned into a 3-floor wonder that has 12 bedrooms, a private elevator, and all the mod cons you can ever dream of. It’s probably entirely powered by Amazon Smart Plugs and echoes with the sound of Alexa’s voice – if we had to hazard a guess.
24. Blue Origin
Year Purchased: 2000
Estimated Value: $100 million+*
Jeff Bezos made headlines in July 2021 when he was part of a small crew that went into space via his own company, Blue Origin. Although it may have seemed to some like he jumped on the space race bandwagon in more recent years, Bezos actually founded the company back in 2000.
So, it wasn’t a direct scrabble to get ahead of Elon Musk’s Tesla. It’s not known exactly how much the company is worth, but over $100 million in future commercial space flight tickets have been sold. Bezos went on the initial 10-minute flight with his brother, Mark, and two others.
25. Juno Therapeutics Investment
Year Purchased: 2014
Estimated Value: Unknown
As we’ve seen from other donations that the Bezos family has made, Jeff Bezos cares a lot about cancer research funding. Juno Therapeutics is a global biopharmaceutical business that was founded in 2013 by the Hutch, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Center.
Juno was the recipient of a major donation from Jeff Bezos in 2014. The exact amount is unknown, but it was part of a $120 million funding round that was very successful. Juno focuses on patients with advanced diseases who have been unable to manage their illnesses with transplants, radiation, chemo, and other traditional treatments.
26. IMDb
Year Purchased: 1998
Estimated Value: $55 million*
Many people may not realize that Jeff Bezos is also the proud owner of IMDb. Although he doesn’t actually personally own it, he managed to broker a deal with the existing owner in 1998 for $55 million, which saw Amazon become its parent company.
Many didn’t quite understand why Amazon would want to buy the movie and television review site at the time, but it proved to be a good resource for Amazon, especially when Amazon Prime Video was established later down the line.
27. Twitch
Year Purchased: 2014
Estimated Value: $970 million*
Video game streaming has become a huge thing in recent years, so it only made sense that Jeff saw an opportunity and took it. In 204, he facilitated a deal through Amazon that saw the company purchase popular streaming site Twitch for just under $1 billion.
As of 2021, Twitch still remains popular, so it was a powerful addition to Amazon’s growing portfolio of acquisitions. Jeff knows a good thing when he sees it. Let’s not forget he was one of the earliest investors in Google before it really took off.
28. Airbnb
Year Purchased: 2011
Estimated Value: $100 billion*
Airbnb has grown to be quite the success story over time. Jeff Bezos, once again through his investment company, Bezos Expeditions, took a bet on a fledgling company, and his bet paid off. Bezos invested $112 million into the company in 2011 during the Series B round. He stands to make hundreds of millions from that investment.
Airbnb has grown to become a super-popular accommodation marketplace. It provides access to over five million places to stay in over 191 countries (and 81,000 cities). Airbnb had a hotly-anticipated IPO in 2020, and Bezos cashed in from his early belief in Airbnb’s potential.
29. LA Mansion
Year Purchased: 2020
Estimated Value: $165 million*
Jeff Bezos made a huge purchase in 2020 when he bought the Beverly Hills Warner Estate for $165 million. The mansion has 13,600 square feet of living space, as well as two guesthouses, tennis courts, a pool, and a dozen other lavish amenities. Bezos also bought the house next door for $10 million, mirroring a common real estate pattern that he often follows.
The Warner Estate formerly belonged to another member of the billionaire club, David Geffen. The mansion, which was built in the 1930s, is a piece of Hollywood history. When asked about the sale, a spokesperson for Amazon and Bezos declined to comment.
30. Chevrolet Blazer
Year Purchased: 1988
Estimated Value: $14,509* (Original MSRP)
One of Jeff Bezos’ first cars was a 1988 Chevrolet Blazer, which he drove before he ever created Amazon. Bezos no longer owns his Blazer, which cost around $14,509 new in the late eighties. He upgraded his car to a Honda Accord, which would later become the symbol of his frugality when it comes to his personal possessions.
During the early days of Amazon, Bezos had just ten staff members. He would take packages to be sent in his ’88 Blazer. It’s amazing to think that a hugely valuable, billion-dollar tech company grew from those humble beginnings.
31. Navy Pajamas
Year Purchased: 2018
Estimated Value: $50-$100*
When you think about attending a board meeting, you probably picture people wearing suits. However, in 2018, that wasn’t the case, as Jeff Bezos showed up to an Amazon board meeting in navy pajamas. It was “Casual Wednesday” at the company, so the board members got to ditch their suits and dress down.
Even Bezos got in on the fun, it seems. He explained his decision on Instagram, saying his Casual Wednesday look was part of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. As part of Amazon’s partnership with the ACC, he and other “Amazonians” wore their PJs to work. Bezos joked that he’d never felt more “comfortable” at a board meeting.
32. Brunello Cucinelli Sports Jacket
Year Purchased: 2019
Estimated Value: $4,000*
Brunello Cucinelli is a philosopher turned designer. He’s become a favorite of tech CEOs in Silicon Valley, and that includes Jeff Bezos, who owns at least one of the designer’s $4,000 blazers. Bezos and fourteen other tech entrepreneurs made a pilgrimage to Cucinelli’s Italian hometown in 2019 as sort of an improvised tech summit.
Cucinelli, a humanist who has dedicated his life to ethical capitalism, isn’t extravagant when it comes to his clothing. The clothes are understated, despite their high price. As GQ put it, owning a Cucinelli blazer is a sign that you’ve hit the “pinnacle of taste”.
33. Seattle Lake House
Year Purchased: 1998
Estimated Value: $10 million*
Amazon has certainly gone from strength to strength over the years, but even in the ‘90s Jeff was doing well for himself. In 1998, he paid $10 million for a 20,600-square-foot home in Seattle’s exclusive Medina suburb. He’s not the only tech giant to live there, either.
Microsoft big wig Bill Gates is one of his wealthy neighbors. Bezos doesn’t just have one home in the area, but two – although the lake house is arguably the most lavish. With a private boathouse and its very own shoreline, not many people will step foot in a home like this in their lifetime.
34. The Washington Post
Year Purchased: 2013
Estimated Value: $250 million*
Jeff isn’t just a tech wizard, but a shrewd businessman that knows the importance of media, too. In 2013, he decided to branch out by buying The Washington Post. It was a move that was strange enough to garner headlines across the globe, not least because he paid a crazy amount of money for the paper.
The deal was sealed at $250 million. Bezos was keen to make it clear that he bought the media outlet as a personal purchase and not to make it part of Amazon. The news quickly spread via social media outlets like Facebook as well as new programs like Fox.
35. Amazon Campus
Year Purchased: 2012
Estimated Value: $4 billion*
Every self-respecting industry giant knows that it’s important to have a sprawling campus that looks impressive. Bezos decided to jump on the bandwagon in 2012 by having design firm NBBJ create a sprawling HQ for Amazon. The initial project was expensive, but the building has grown over time.
Now worth $4 billion, the campus is more like a tech hub. Other companies like Google are known for spending a fortune on company headquarters too, with the search engine OG looking to spend $7 billion to upgrade their offices as of 2021.
36. Bezos Earth Fund
Year Purchased: $10 billion*
Estimated Value: 2020
If you’ve ever found yourself wondering what an Earth fund is, then look no further. Jeff Bezos is here to explain all. In 2020, the entrepreneur extraordinaire decided to launch a new $10-billion-dollar project that will reportedly “invest in scientists, NGOs, activists, and the private sector to help drive new technologies.”
The scope of the fund is quite wide, as the MO is also to tackle climate change and social justice. It was a welcome move from Jeff, especially because the billions came from his own personal bank account and not Amazon as a company.
37. Modest Cars
Year Purchased: Various
Estimated Value: $20,000*
Usually, the world’s richest people have a fair collection of cars that the public knows about. Jeff is an exception to this rule. Not much is known about what he’s got nestled away in the garage, but we do know that he has two very modest vehicles – a Honda Accord and a Chevrolet Blazer.
It’s not exactly the Ferrari that some might expect considering just how much money he has in the bank. On the flip side, it’s not a beaten-up old Ford either. Perhaps Jeff just likes to keep his four-wheel collection private.
38. Former Textile Museum
Year Purchased: 2016
Estimated Value: $23 million*
What can you get the man that has everything? Not very much, because he’ll buy it himself. In 2016, Jeff decided to add to his impressive property portfolio by purchasing a former textiles museum in Washington, D.C. The large historical building was then renovated, with Jeff sparing no expense.
The plans included five living spaces, 25 bathrooms, and two elevators. There’s a reason why Bezos is one of the most land-rich Americans in the US. He’s not scared to buy a property or three in the places that he loves the most.
39. $100 million award to chef José Andrés
Year Purchased: 2021
Estimated Value: $100 million*
Jose Andres, a chef and humanitarian, runs World Central Kitchen. World Central Kitchen helps fight food insecurity, and it partners with restaurants, community leaders, and farmers around the country to make sure that people don’t go hungry. World Central was started in response to the events of 2020, and it has been a lifesaver for people who are struggling.
Jeff Bezos donated $100 million to Andres to help further his work with World Central. Bezos awarded Andres the huge grant after he got back from space, and Andres said he was “so honored” to be the recipient of such a huge award.
40. Property in Beverly Hills
Year Purchased: Unknown
Estimated Value: $25 million*
Jeff has some of the biggest homes in the entire world, including this mansion that he picked up for $25 million. The seven-bedroom Spanish-style mansion in Beverly Hills isn’t his most expensive piece of property, but it’s charming and as luxurious as you might expect.
Jeff doesn’t need to shop for home decor candles at {WMT:Walmart}} to spruce the place up. He has all of the best designers at his fingertips. The home also boasts a greenhouse, a sprawling tennis court, and swimming pool, and not one, not two, but four fountains.
41. Brooks Sneakers
Year Purchased: 2019
Estimated Value: $100-$200*
Brooks Sneakers are a collection of shoes from Brooks Running, which is dedicated to making road running, trail running, and walking shoes. These sneakers are the best of the best, and they cost hundreds of dollars a pair. The brand is 107 years old, and it has a reputation for being high-quality, durable, and comfortable.
The brand is also committed to being eco-friendly and sustainable, which caught the eye of Jeff Bezos. Brooks uses recyclable materials in many of its shows. Both Bezos and his girlfriend own Brooks shoes, likely because of the high quality and the reputation for being environmentally friendly.
42. Octopus-Print Vilebrequin Swimsuit
Year Purchased: 2020
Estimated Value: $260*
Though Jeff Bezos isn’t a supermodel or actor, he still has an influence on fashion decisions. People want to be like the billionaire in the hopes that they’ll become billionaires, and, if Bezos wears a certain outfit, his fans are going to copy it.
Bezos’ $260 octopus-print Vilebrequin swim trunks are a good example of this fashion phenomenon. Bezos wore them beachside in 2020 (and a bunch of other times), and they went viral. Vilebrequin, a French company, had to restock the trunks several times because of a crazy demand, making Jeff Bezos, of all people, an accidental fashion influencer.
43. Nobu Malibu Dinner
Year Purchased: 2021
Estimated Value: $200-$300*
Nobu Malibu is a super-fancy restaurant in California. It has delicacies from Nobu Matsuhisa, a Japanese chef who was on Iron Chef, as well as California fare. The beachfront restaurant is a hotspot for celebrities, and Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez were two of them in the summer of 2021.
The couple went out to dinner at Nobu Malibu in July of 2021, just a week before Bezos was scheduled to take flight on his Blue Origin rocket. The fifty-seven-year-old Amazon founder is usually pretty private, but he made a rare public appearance to head to dinner at Nobu with family and friends.
44. General Assembly
Ano da Compra: 2015
Valor Estimado: R$2,2 bilhões*
A General Assembly é bastante semelhante a outro investimento da Amazon, a EverFi. A empresa ajuda pessoas a aprenderem habilidades tecnológicas como desenvolvimento para web, análise de dados, design de interface de usuário e muito mais. A operadora da escola de programação foi apoiada numa rodada de financiamento por Jeff Bezos, ao lado de empresas como Wellington Capital, Maveron, Advance Publications e muito mais.
A GA levantou R$ 600 milhões na rodada de financiamento. Poucos anos depois, foi vendida para a Adecco Group, uma empresa suíça, por R$ 2,0625 bilhões. A empresa tem dezenas de escritórios na América do Norte e rende mais de R$ 500 milhões por ano. A alta no mercado de automação significa que a GA deve se expandir bastante num curto espaço de tempo. Outro retorno de investimento impressionante para a Bezos Expeditions.
45. Ulysse Nardin Wristwatch
Year Purchased: Unknown
Estimated Value: $10,000*
When you’re part of the world’s jet-setting elite, you’re going to need a decent watch that both looks like part and keeps perfect time. There are so many high-end brands to choose from, but Jeff’s favorite is a $10,000-dollar Ulysse Nardin timepiece.
The sparkling watch is sleek and sophisticated and looks every bit as expensive as it actually is. Jeff likely has a few of these in his collection, but this is the one that seems to pop up in pictures the most. It’s hardly surprising given how fancy it is.
46. Casa em frente à sua casa em Washington
Ano da Compra: Final da década de 1990
Valor Estimado: R$265 milhões*
Além de investir em várias startups, Jeff Bezos também tem uma enorme carteira imobiliária. Bezos tem milhões de dólares em propriedades no mundo inteiro. Mesmo que ele não esteja morando em nenhuma dessas casas, ele tem dinheiro o suficiente para gastar com o que quiser.
Bezos tem duas propriedades em Medina, Washington. Ambas valem R$ 315 milhões, agora. Ele comprou os imóveis nos anos 1990 – um é sua residência principal, enquanto o outro é a casa do outro lado da rua. A casa de quatro quartos e cinco banheiros tem o preço de R$ 265 milhões. Bezos comprou a casa do outro lado da sua residência principal por “motivos pessoais”.
47. Kiton Leather Jacket
Year Purchased: 2017
Estimated Value: $10,000-$15,000*
Kiton has gone the same way as Brunello Cucinelli, offering Silicon Valley entrepreneurs a casual and understated, yet high-priced, look. Silicon Valley entrepreneurs have their own style code, and it is no less widely copied than celebrities’ and other fashion icons’ looks.
Jeff Bezos is the latest billionaire to be spotted wearing a leather jacket from Kiton. He wore the ensemble to the Summit LA17, which led the New York Times to call him a “style icon.” The Kiton leather jackets are ridiculously expensive, costing between $10,000 and $15,000 for some models. You can find them at Saks Fifth Avenue or online, if you have the money to spare.
48. Honda Accord 1997
Ano da Compra: 1997
Valor Estimado: $92,925*
Quando a Amazon abriu o capital em 1997, o patrimônio de Jeff Bezos decolou para R$ 60 bilhões. Se alguém tem R$ 60 bilhões, essa pessoa deve dirigir uma Ferrari ou um Lamborghini, certo? Não Jeff Bezos. Ele decidiu ficar com um chofer modesto, trocando seu Chevy Blazer de 1987 por um Honda Accord de 1997. O valor atual do Accord é de R$ 100.000
Ele pilotou o modelo por muito tempo, inclusive quando já tinha se tornado muito mais rico. Bezos diz que o Honda é um “carro perfeito” e que sua modéstia em relação ao carro é um “símbolo” de sua filosofia de não gastar com coisas que “não importam… para os clientes”.
49. Estate in Medina, Washington
Year Purchased: Unknown
Estimated Value: $10 million+*
Jeff’s property portfolio is one of the most impressive in the world. He has properties dotted all over America and beyond, but just one home in an exclusive area isn’t always enough for him. He owns multiple properties in Medina, Washington, including an estate.
He’s not the only tech magnate to go to the area, with other big names like Bill and Melinda Gates just a stone’s throw away. Jeff lives on the sweetly named Evergreen Point Road. Other Microsoft and Amazon employees also live in the locality.
50. 30,000-acre Ranch in Texas
Year Purchased: Unknown
Estimated Value: $50 million*
Bezos doesn’t just stick to Seattle and Beverly Hills. He even reportedly owns a 30,000-acre ranch in Texas that includes its very own space station. That’s a big achievement for anyone. Not much is known about the ranch, but it seems to be one of Jeff’s largest land parcels.
The New York Post estimates that Jeff paid around $50 million to get his hands on the ranch. That’s a lot of money to everyone else but to Bezos, it’s just 0.0326% of his overall wealth. It’s not even a drop in the ocean.
51. Meals at the Omega3 restaurant in Greece
Year Purchased: 2019
Estimated Value: $20-$40*
Omega3 is run by a scientist-turned-chef, and it is one of the best fish restaurants in Greece. It also has beautiful views of the sea. The Greek restaurant is a chic place to dine, and it has a 4.5/5-star rating on TripAdvisor, as well as a 4.8/5-star rating on Facebook.
The restaurant was a must-do on the itinerary of Jeff Bezos, who vacationed in Greece in 2019. He was on a cruise on the Aegean Sea when he stopped to dine at Omega3, located on Sifnos. The menu at Omega3 is a bit different than your usual restaurant menu, offering dishes like “Octopus shots,” “Sea spaghetti and beetroot chips,” and “Free-range fish collarbone of throat in assyrtiko sauce.”
52. Basecamp Investment
Year Purchased: 2006
Estimated Value: Unknown
Jason Fried and David Hansson, both of whom founded Basecamp, pitched a deal to Jeff Bezos in 2006. Basecamp, a software management startup, had been in business for several years and was making a profit, but Hansson and Fried wanted more assurance. They asked Bezos to invest in their company.
Bezos agreed, and he purchased a no-control, minority stake in their company. At the time, Hansson’s and Fried’s decision was perplexing, but they later explained that they wanted to cash out from the deal. That extra cash would give them not only financial security, but the freedom to take more risks. According to the founders, they’ve paid Bezos back five times’ worth his original investment.
53. Bezos Day One Fund
Year Purchased: 2018
Estimated Value: $2 billion*
Considering just how much money Jeff has in the bank, it’s only natural that he would want to give back to society in some form. In 2018, he announced the launch of the One Day Fund, stating that he would commit $2 billion to good causes by helping already established charities.
The Founding Letter states, “We launched the Bezos Day One Fund with a commitment of $2 billion and focus on two areas: funding existing non-profits that help homeless families, and creating a network of new, non-profit tier-one preschools in low-income communities.”
54. Zappos
Year Purchased: 2009
Estimated Value: $900 million*
Jeff was still making big money moves over a decade ago, when he purchased e-commerce retailer Zappos. Amazon reportedly spent over $900 million on the deal that saw them acquire the brand. As a bonus to Zappos, it got to keep its management team. The CEO of Zappos at the time reassured employees that nothing would change.
The board of directors changed, but everything else continued on as normal. The retailer still sells under Amazon to this day and is a profitable enterprise for Bezos. It sells everything from shoes to other fashionable items.
55. Ring
Year Purchased: 2018
Estimated Value: $1.2-$1.8 billion*
Shark Tank fans will remember that Ring, a smart doorbell company, was actually rejected by the investors on the show a few years ago. Jeff Bezos didn’t reject it, and Amazon bought the company in 2018. Now, Ring is worth between $1.2 and $1.8 billion
Things haven’t exactly been smooth-sailing, and you can’t help but wonder whether Bezos regrets his ring purchase. There have been security concerns, so much so that the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform initiated an investigation into the company in February of 2020. A few months later, Amazon recalled 350,000 Ring smart doorbells because they were deemed a fire hazard.
56. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Donation
Year Purchased: 2017
Estimated Value: $35 million*
The Bezos Family Foundation was the grantor of the largest donation that the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center ever received. The donation, worth $35 million, is going to be used to hire top researchers and explore new ways to fight cancer. The Bezos family broke its own record. Previously, they’d given the Center a $20 million check.
Jackie Bezos’, Jeff’s mother and one of the board members of the Bezos Family Foundation, said that “the Hutch” was a “truly unique organization,” combining “world-class research” with “tremendous business sense” and “compassion.” The Hutch said the donation would be a “transformative investment” that could help push research forward.
57. EverFi
Year Purchased: 2016
Estimated Value: $251 million*
Jeff Bezos has a lot of money to spend on intangible purchases, such as investments. He spent $40 million on EverFi, a digital education program that teaches high school students about “financial literacy.” The program seeks to help kids make healthy financial choices throughout their lifetime.
Bezos loved the concept, and he joined in on the crowd-funding. Jeff Bezos’ Bezos Expeditions footed the bill, and the company’s valuation is suspected to be $1 billion. It already has 3,300 customers now, and it expects to double that base in just the next few years. EverFi founders also want to target other important topics for high schoolers, such as STEM, student loans, and healthcare.
58. Souq.com
Year Purchased: 2017
Estimated Value: $580 million*
It took a few decades, but Jeff Bezos finally brought Amazon.com to the Middle East. Amazon bought Souq, the largest retailer in the region, for an undisclosed amount. Though Souq got an offer for $800 million, they chose to go with Amazon. The goal of Bezos’ purchase was to expand Amazon’s influence.
Souq.com raised $275 million in public financing before Amazon bought it. It is a “free-zone firm,” which means that Bezos will be able to run Souq as a completely foreign-owned operation. Amazon followed on the heels of Apple with its purchase of Souq, as Apple just opened its first stores in the Middle East in 2015.
59. Goodreads
Year Purchased: 2013
Estimated Value: $3 billion*
Amazon started out as an online book retailer, and, in 2013, it got back to its roots when it purchased Goodreads, an online reader review site that is popular among book-lovers. Goodreads users were stunned to find out that Amazon would be running the site, and Bezos’ company never revealed the terms of the acquisition.
Goodreads has grown to a multi-billion-dollar valuation since it was founded in 2007. It has more than sixteen million members, and they have added over four books a second, on average, to their digital shelves. Goodreads said that it and Amazon both have a passion for “reinventing reading.”
60. Accept.com
Year Purchased: 1999
Estimated Value: $166.65 million*
In April of 1999, Amazon went on a bit of a spending spree, buying up three Internet companies. Among them was Accept.com, which Bezos bought for over $166 million (adjusting for inflation). Amazon also bought Alexa Internet, a web-navigation service, and e-Niche, a rare book- and music-seller.
Amazon issued 877,657 shares in order to buy the closely-held financial services company. Accept.com was developing ways to make online transactions easier, something that Amazon.com desperately needed at the time. Bezos thought the purchase could help expand Amazon’s selection of products. Accept.com, founded in 1988 by Mark Britto, is still around as an e-commerce company.
61. DPReview
Year Purchased: 2007
Estimated Value: Unlisted
Founded in 1998, DPReview, also known as Digital Photography Review, is a website dedicated to digital photography and digital cameras. Less than a decade after it was founded, Amazon purchased the company. Jeff Bezos had glowing praise for DPReview, calling it the “most authoritative source” for “straight talk” about digital cameras.
Bezos said that he had been a fan of DPReview for “a long time,” and he was excited to “extend a big welcome” to the company. On DPReview’s part, the digital camera website was pleased to have Amazon’s backing and reach, helping them reach even more customers than the millions of website visitors they already had prior to the purchase.
62. Fabric.com
Year Purchased: 2008
Estimated Value: $850 million*
Sewing, quilting, knitting, and crafting are some of the most popular hobbies in the world, and Fabric.com is a huge source of materials for these crafters, as it sells patterns, fabrics that have been measured and cut, sewing tools, accessories, and more. In 2008, Amazon bought Fabric.com, turning the fabric store into a subsidiary.
Fabric.com launched in the late nineties, and, less than a decade later, it joined DPReview as yet one more Amazon acquisition. The deal benefited both companies, as Fabric.com was able to expand its inventory with Amazon’s financial backing, while Amazon got a whole new catalog full of crafting and hobby materials.
63. Amazon Robotics
Year Purchased: 2012
Estimated Value: $775 million* (Kiva Systems)
Formerly known as Kiva Systems, Amazon Robotics took on the Amazon moniker in 2012 when it purchased Kiva for $775 million. The company sold systems based on two robotics models, both of which were able to carry out automated storage and retrieval tasks. The first model could lift up to 1,000 pounds, while the second could lift 3,000 pounds.
These little orange robots used to buzz around the warehouses of companies like The Gap, Staples, Walgreens, Office Depot, Crate & Barrel, and more. When those contracts ran out, Amazon didn’t renew them, preferring instead to keep the robots all to themselves. Now, the robots only work in Amazon warehouses, giving the company a leg-up on the competition.
64. Workday
Year Purchased: 2011
Estimated Value: $9.5 billion*
Workday, Inc. is a financial and human capital management software vendor. The company was founded in 2005, and it has since launched several IPOs that have raised a lot of money. Workday’s valuation is now at $9.5 billion, and its competitors include Ceridian, Oracle, and SAP Successfactors.
But not Amazon. In fact, in 2011, Jeff Bezos joined one of Workday’s rounds of funding. His exact investment is unknown, but the total funding from that round was $250 million. Bezos was joined by T. Rowe Price, Morgan Stanley, and Janus in investing in the tech company, which Forbes listed in 2020 as one of the “Top 100 Companies to Work For.”
65. Business Insider
Year Purchased: 2013
Estimated Value: $442 million*
Internal memos from Business Insider higher-ups revealed that Jeff Bezos invested in the publication in 2013. The memo asked employees not to say anything about the investment (so, naturally, they leaked the memo almost immediately), with Business Insider CEO Henry Blodget saying that Bezos was making a “significant investment” into the company.
Bezos’ funding was part of a round that raised $5 million. As Blodget said, the capital would allow Business Insider to “invest aggressively” in different areas, from editorial articles to marketing and subscriptions. Apparently, Blodget was able to secure Bezos’ investment after they had dinner together and realized Amazon and Business Insider had quite a few similarities.
66. Domo
Year Purchased: 2013
Estimated Value: $500 million-$1 billion*
Domo is a cloud software company that connects CEOs with their employees. The company, founded in 2010 by Josh James, uses data visualization and business intelligence tools to connect CEOs and front-line workers. CEOs can access real-time insights and data, allowing them to manage their company from their smartphones.
Bezos invested $60 million into the software company in 2013. Domo’s stock has been a pretty wild ride since its founding. The valuation of the company once dropped from $2.3 billion to $511 million, right before its 2018 IPO. Still, Bezos is sticking with Domo, and the stock is currently priced at $77.58.
67. AWS Elemental
Year Purchased: 2015
Estimated Value: $350 million*
Elemental, a video-processing startup, was founded in 2006 with a simple mission of making TV shows, sporting events, and films stream smoothly. Amazon Web Service, the cloud computing arm of Amazon, agreed with that mission, and it purchased Elemental in 2015 for $500 million, turning it into AWS Elemental.
AWS Elemental’s tech is popular with companies and broadcasters like HBO, CNN, and Comcast. The company claims that it pioneered the use of its particular video processing service, and it has offices all over the world, including India, Brazil, Russia, China, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, France, and the U.K.
68. ZocDoc
Year Purchased: 2008
Estimated Value: $2 billion*
According to ZocDoc, Jeff Bezos has been “interested” in anything that computers can help “revolutioniz[e],” and that includes the medical industry. ZocDoc became the Amazon leader’s latest investment in 2008. The round of funding raised $3 million, and Bezos was joined by Salesforce.com founder and CEO Marc Benioff.
ZocDoc lets people find and book telemedicine appointments with in-network doctors. The doctors are a viable alternative to in-person medical (or dental) care. The company was founded in 2007, and it picked up steam quickly, as investors like Bezos Expeditions realized that it was a gold mine. Now, ZocDoc’s market cap is $2 billion.
69. General Assembly
Year Purchased: 2015
Estimated Value: $440 million*
General Assembly is a bit similar to another Amazon investment, EverFi. General Assembly helps people learn tech-related skills like web development, data analysis, user interface design, and more. The coding school operator was backed in its venture funding round by Jeff Bezos, as well as Wellington Capital, Maveron, Advance Publications, and more.
It raised $120 million from that round of funding, and, a few years later, it sold to Adecco Group, a Swiss company, for $412.5 million. General Assembly has more than a dozen offices in North America, and it brings in around $100 million in revenue a year. The rise of automation means that G.A. is likely to expand a lot in a short period of time, marking another impressive ROI for Bezos Expeditions.
70. Washington house across the street from his home
Year Purchased: Late 1990s
Estimated Value: $53 million*
In addition to having a lot of investments in startup companies, Jeff Bezos also has a massive real estate portfolio. Bezos owns hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth in property across the globe, and he has enough money to spend on whatever he wants, even if he’s not actually living there.
Bezos owns two properties in Medina, Washington, both of which are worth $63 million now. He bought the properties in the 1990s. One is his main residence, and the other is the home across the street. It has four bedrooms and five bathrooms, and it cost $53 million. Bezos purchased the home across the street from his residence for “privacy reasons.”
71. Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Donation
Year Purchased: 2017
Estimated Value: $1 million*
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press was founded in 1970, and it has its headquarters in Virginia. The organization is a nonprofit based in D.C., and it provides pro bono resources and services on behalf of journalists. The organization is dedicated to a free press, and it defends reporters and journalists who have been silenced.
Jeff Bezos is apparently in great agreement with the Committee’s ideals, so much so that he donated $1 million to the nonprofit in 2017. The gift will help with the Committee’s revamp, as it is seeking to add an additional $6 million in funding to its coffers.
72. Twitter
Year Purchased: 2008
Estimated Value: $4.4 billion*
Back in 2008, Jeff Bezos had a keen eye for tech company investments (and, to be honest, he still does). He saw that Twitter was just getting started, and he liked the idea behind the company and saw a future in it. He was correct, and Twitter is now one of the biggest social media platforms in the world.
Bezos invested $15 million into the app through Bezos Expeditions. At the time, Twitter was not a public company. It debuted on Wall Street with its 2013 IPO, and it was priced then at $26 per share. Now, Twitter’s price-per-share is $59.35.
73. New York University Langone Hospital Donation
Year Purchased: 2017
Estimated Value: $25 million*
New York University Langone Hospital is an academic medical center in New York City. It conducts scientific research and trains future scientists and doctors. In 2017, NYU Langone Health got a huge donation from the Bezos family. The $25 million check was a milestone in charity history.
New York University Langone Hospital Donation @petercfrank1 / Pinterest.comThe Bezos Family Foundation cut the check for the donation, calling NYU Langone a “beacon” for the community for over one hundred years. The money is dedicated to supporting advancements in early brain development. The funding is also going to be used by NYU Langone to support starting initiatives that help children and families who visit for infant and prenatal healthcare.
74. Octopus Breakfast
Year Purchased: 2010
Estimated Value: $11*
Everything Jeff Bezos does appears to set a trend, no matter how wacky. Eating octopus for breakfast is an example of that. In 2010, Bezos was dining with Matt Rutledge at Lola, a Seattle restaurant owned by Tom Douglas. Rutledge, the owner of Woot.com, recalled in an interview that Bezos ordered octopus for breakfast.
“Tom’s Big Breakfast” is a Mediterranean octopus with poached egg, green garlic yogurt, bacon, and potatoes. Bezos said that he ordered octopus because he didn’t “understand it” and had “never had” it. He told Rutledge he “must” have the breakfast octopus, and he compared that decision to his choice to buy Rutledge’s company, Woot.com.
75. TraceMe
Year Purchased: 2017
Estimated Value: $60 million*
NFL player Russell Wilson was one of the founders of TraceMe, a company backed by Jeff Bezos, YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley, and Joe Tsai, the co-founder of Alibaba. TraceMe is a hub for superfans of celebrities, artists, athletes, actors, and other high-profile names.
Wilson said that he founded the company, which is already valued at $60 million, to connect with his “superfans,” which he deemed his “most passionate” fans. TraceMe’s first round of funding raised $9 million. The app isn’t for regular fans, according to CEO Jason LeeKeenan, it is for superfans who want a “deeper” connection with their favorite celebrities and athletes.
76. Convoy
Year Purchased: 2019
Estimated Value: $2.7 billion*
Convoy is a Seattle-based startup that uses a digital platform to match shippers with trucking companies. It is run by Dan Lewis, a former executive at Amazon, so it makes sense that Bezos Expeditions was involved in the funding. The funding round was co-led by Al Gore’s Generation Investment Management, and it raised $400 million.
Combined with previous funding, Convoy had raised $668 million, placing its total valuation at $2.7 billion. Bezos was joined by Bill Gates in investing in Convoy, which has been described as the “Uber of trucking.” The company made the CNBC “Disruptor 50 List,” so Bezos’ investment is off to a good start.
77. Prada Sandals
Year Purchased: 2019
Estimated Value: $650*
Once again, Jeff Bezos has somehow found himself as an accidental fashion influencer. Though his sandals might look like anything you could pick up from a souvenir shop in Florida, they’re actually expensive Prada footwear. He was spotted wearing them while on vacation with his girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez, in St. Barts.
The black, double-strap sandals cost over $500, and they’re similar to the Birkenstock Arizona sandals, which cost less than $200, if you’re trying to copy Jeff Bezos’ look but don’t have Jeff Bezos’ money. Bezos is one of the richest men in the world, but he’s not above rocking the “dad sandal” look. Even if those sandals are Prada.
78. Maui Estate
Year Purchased: 2021
Estimated Value: $78 million*
Billionaire and accidental fashion icon Jeff Bezos has real estate ventures all over the world. The billionaire owns homes everywhere, and he added another estate to his list in 2021. In an off-market transaction, Bezos paid $78 million for a fourteen-acre tropical estate on the beautiful Hawaiian island of Maui.
The property, which was previously owned by Doug Schatz after Schatz bought it for $4.2 million in the mid-1990s, includes a 700-square-foot swimming pool, private, white-sand beach, fish pond, 1,700-square-foot guesthouse, and 4,500-square-foot main house. All in all, the 14-acre estate consists of seven different parcels of land.
79. Ferrari Pininfarina Sergio
Year Purchased: 2013
Estimated Value: $3 million*
Though Jeff Bezos has still hung onto his trusty Honda over the years, the billionaire is still, well, a billionaire, and he has the garage to back him up. Bezos owns some priceless cars, including this Ferrari Pininfarina Sergio. The car is worth more than $3 million, and it was named in honor of Sergio Pininfarina, the son of carmaker Battista Pininfarina.
Just six units of these supercars were built, and Jeff Bezos’ garage plays host to a red one. It’s easy to see why Bezos, never one to turn down a thrill, owns one of these cars. The Sergio can go from 0 to 62 in just 3.4 seconds.
80. Casablanca Shirt
Year Purchased: 2022
Estimated Value: $1,274*
Jeff Bezos has emerged, in recent years, as an unlikely style icon, and headlines were abuzz about his wild New Year’s Eve outfit that he wore in Miami in 2022. The world’s richest man loves a loud, colorful shirt, and, believe it or not, people actually try to copy what he wears in the hopes that his wealth will rub off on them.
If you’re looking to have your “Miami moment” like Jeff Bezos, you can get his look from Casablanca, a French brand, for $1,274. Though it was designed to be loose, Bezos got a smaller size, assumedly, to show off his progress in the gym.
81. Woot!
Year Purchased: 2010
Estimated Value: $110 million*
For a long time, Jeff Bezos ate octopus for breakfast, and that was a practice he took with him even into business meetings. In 2010, he made headlines for dining on a strange, seafood-filled breakfast alongside Woot CEO Matt Rutledge.
Though it was the weird eating habits that got everyone’s attention, we mustn’t forget that Bezos came away with a deal from that meeting. He bought Woot for $110 million. It’s easy to see why Amazon and Woot make a great match—the latter offers day-to-day deals and limited-time offers for certain product categories, including home times, personal care, and more.
82. A Secret Yacht
Year Purchased: 2023 (Expected Delivery Date)
Estimated Value: $500 million*
We all know that Jeff Bezos, like almost every billionaire, has a yacht. But, many people might not know that the Amazon founder has a secret yacht that costs $500 million and is still under construction. This huge luxury yacht, which we should see hit the water sometime in 2023, will be longer than a football field.
The three-mast schooner will also have its own miniature support yacht, as well as a helipad. Other than that, not too many details are known. Oceanco is the builder, and one report described Bezos’ new yacht as being the sea’s “Great Pyramid of Giza.”
83. An Investment Into Synchron
Year Purchased: 2022
Estimated Value: $75 million* (Total Funding Round Profit)
If you’ve been following the news, then you know that Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla, has become increasingly irritated with the progress of his brain tech startup, Neuralink. To make matters worse, in late 2022, two billionaires, Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos placed their bets on Neuralink’s rival, Synchron.
The two were part of a funding round that saw Synchron raise $75 million, though the pair’s total investment was undisclosed. Synchron has been making big strides lately—recently, it placed its first brain-computer interface into a patient’s brain. This “brain chip” is a huge project of Musk’s, and Synchron appears to be beating Neuralink to the punch, with Bezos’ help.
84. Lykan Hypersport
Year Purchased: 2010s
Estimated Value: $4 million*
Made by W Motors, an Emirati sports car company founded in 2012, this Lebanese sports car is only for the ultra-rich. Jeff Bezos shelled out $4 million for the Lykan Hypersport, a limited-edition vehicle that has a unique design and pricey features like fifteen-carat diamond headlights. Bezos’ Hypersport can hit sixty miles per hour in just 2.8 seconds.
The billionaire’s car collection is worth around $20 million, and the Hypersport makes up 25% of that total price tag. Though the Hypersport isn’t the priciest car in his garage, it is certainly one of the most unique.
85. ShopBop
Year Purchased: 2006
Estimated Value: Undisclosed
Shopbop joined Amazon’s ever-expanding group of subsidiaries in 2006, but the companies mostly operate independently from one another. Shopbop is a clothing retailer that, thanks to the partnership, expands Amazon’s retail offerings. Plus, you can benefit from two-day shipping when you order on Shopbop.
According to Shopbop, which has its own app, this retailer is the best place to discover and shop from more than one thousand “emerging” and “established” designers. On Instagram, the company has 1.3 million followers, and it has built up quite a bit of social capital—something Amazon, a company that hasn’t always had the best PR, can always benefit from.
86. Arrived Homes
Year Purchased: 2019
Estimated Value: Undisclosed
Arrived Homes is a fascinating startup that lets you buy rental homes for as low as $100. The company was founded in 2019, and it has already made waves in the real estate industry. It is backed by some pretty rich names, including Jeff Bezos, Marc Benioff (Salesforce), Dara Khosrowshahi (Uber), and Spencer Rascoff (Zillow).
Bezos was one of the first to invest, though it has not been disclosed how much he invested. According to Benzinga, the annualized returns on Arrived Homes’ platform have ranged anywhere from 3% to 94.8%. It appears that Bezos has made a strong bet, thus far, on this disruptive new company.
87. A Dog Named Luna
Year Purchased: 2010s
Estimated Value: N/A
If you follow Jeff Bezos on social media, then chances are that you’ve seen him with his dog, Luna, quite a few times. Like most of us pet parents, he loves to post Luna whenever he gets the chance. Luna has made waves in the doggy world, as TIME named her “Dog of the Year,” according to a joking post from Jeff Bezos.
Jeff also had a dog named Kamala, who he took with him when he moved to Seattle, Washington to start Amazon. Kamala, named after a Star Trek character, has since crossed the rainbow bridge, though we’re sure Bezos misses her dearly.
88. Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita
Year Purchased: Late 2000s
Estimated Value: $4.8 million*
The Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita is the crown jewel of Jeff Bezos’ car collection. This car is rare and expensive, and Benzos likely paid around $4.8 million for his replica. Koenigsegg introduced this car with white carbon weave bodywork, which meant that, when the sun hit the Trevita, it sparkled like a diamond.
Just three examples are made (another one is owned by Bezos’ fellow celebrity and mogul, Floyd Mayweather). The million-dollar supercar has a 4.7L V8 engine that gets an astounding 1,018 horsepower. As you can imagine, this sleek white car is fast, going from 0 to 62 miles per hour in just 2.9 seconds.
Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita @moneyinc/Pinterest89. MGM
Year Purchased: 2022
Estimated Value: $8.45 billion*
Amazon has a valuation in the billions, and it isn’t afraid to shell out money on companies that it believes will increase that valuation even further. In 2022, waves rippled through the business world when Amazon announced that it would be buying MGM, a film and television production company, for $8.45 billion.
The transaction was completed in March, and, for its money, Amazon got access to 4,000 films and 17,000 television shows, all of which went onto its streaming service, Amazon Prime. This is good news for those of us with Prime, as we get to enjoy all MGM has to offer on one convenient platform.
90. AbeBooks.com
Year Purchased: 2008
Estimated Value: $90-$120 million*
Amazon, as those who know its background, began as a way to sell books online. Though it has since grown to become a major player in the world of online sales, Amazon has stuck true to its roots. In 2008, it purchased AbeBooks for around $90 to $120 million.
AbeBooks launched in 1996 with a unique premise—it sells out-of-print, rare books. This Canadian company (which also has an office in Munich, Germany) was able to expand what Amazon could offer, as far as its book sales went. Foreign, out-of-print, hard-to-find titles can, thanks to AbeBooks, often be accessed on Amazon’s platform.
91. A Copy of Dr. Strangelove
Year Purchased: Unknown
Estimated Value: $10-$20*
Jeff Bezos is a huge fan of the film Dr. Strangelove, and he’s referred to it in interviews with websites like Fast Company as his “favorite movie.” He says he is a huge fan of Peter Sellers, who plays the President in the film, as well. In fact, Bezos compared current-day actor Michael Myers, of Austin Powers fame, to sellers.
Dr. Strangelove, which was directed by Stanley Kubrick and released in 1964, was a black comedy that bitingly satirized the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The movie is a sharp critique of mutually-assured destruction, telling a tale of what happens when the wrong guy pushes the wrong button.
92. Cadillac Escalade
Year Purchased: 2020
Estimated Value: $49,800*
While Jeff Bezos is certainly a fan of foreign supercars, it seems that he appreciates American-made vehicles as his daily drivers. He owns a 2020 Cadillac Escalade that he and his girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez, have been spotted in quite a few times (for example, in 2021, he and Sanchez headed to a dinner date at Jon & Vinny’s in L.A.).
The Caddy had a starting price of $75,195, though its value, as you may have guessed, has dropped to a suggested retail of $49,800. People love their Escalades, especially in L.A. It is a status symbol of luxury and wealth, and it’s a pretty rugged, practical car underneath its luxe surface.
93. ComiXology
Year Purchased: 2013
Estimated Value: Undisclosed
ComiXology is a company that sells graphic novels, comics, and manga, and Amazon, much like it did with AbeBooks, bought this business to be able to expand what it has to offer, as far as its products go. Amazon actually acquired ComiXology in 2013, but the two companies didn’t finish merging until February 2022.
That was when ComiXology was incorporated into Amazon’s Kindle service. Amazon acquired ComiXology after its Jet City Comics failed to achieve significant market share after its July 2013 launch. Amazon often goes by the motto, “If you can’t beat ‘em, buy ‘em.”
94. A Ralph Waldo Emerson Printout
Year Purchased: Unknown
Estimated Value: $0*
In his fridge, Jeff Bezos keeps food, beverages, and a poem, apparently. He has a printout of a poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson on his fridge so that he can “see it every time [he] opens the door.” Bezos posted a photo of the poem on Twitter, saying he “love[d] this quote.” He finished off the tweet with the hashtag #Emerson.
The quote is a reflection from Emerson on what it means to achieve success and make the world a better place. Emerson, for those who don’t remember high school English, was a nineteenth-century writer and essayist who pioneered the American Transcendentalist movement in literature.
95. 2021 Omega Speedmaster Chronograph
Year Purchased: 2021
Estimated Value: $5,500-$9,000*
Jeff Bezos was spotted in July of 2021 wearing an Omega Speedmaster Chronometer to his SpaceX launch. The watch was customized to fit Bezos’ “Blue Origin” adventure, a ten-minute trip around space in a rocket ship known as New Shepard. This marked the first time that future space tourism had been practiced.
Though the field has a long way to go, it does seem possible, as both Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are racing to colonize the stars. Bezos’ Omega Speedmaster, a favorite amongst celebrities like George Clooney, was up for the task, making it safely to space and back with Bezos in one piece, remaining in working order throughout.
96. Bugatti Veyron Mansory
Year Purchased: 2015
Estimated Value: $3.5 million*
Jeff Bezos has the need for speed, and his Bugatti Veyron Mansory is just more proof of how fast his luxury vehicles can go. Bugatti is known for making expensive, fast cars, and the Veyron Mansory is the fastest car the brand has ever made. It can go from 0 to 60 in just 2.5 seconds, making it the speediest car in the Amazon billionaire’s garage.
The Veyron Mansory that Bezos owns is very exclusive, with just two made. The Mansory cost him around $3.5 million, and it has a W16, one of the world’s most powerful engines. The car’s top speed is a blistering 253 miles per hour.
97. A Book By Sam Walton
Year Purchased: Unknown
Estimated Value: $7*
One book on Jeff Bezos’ reading list is Sam Walton: Made in America. Bezos owns a copy of this book, which was written by Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart. The two have quite a bit in common—they’re both billionaires and both own one of the world’s largest retail companies.
Jeff Bezos isn’t the only CEO to recommend this book, as Gurnee Park, Doug McMillon, and Ola Olusoga all read and appreciated Made in America. Essentially, this biography is about how “folk hero” Sam Walton grew Walmart from a small retail store into the multi-billion-dollar behemoth it is today. The book was published in 1992, just one year before Walton passed away from cancer.
98. A Love of Pillsbury Biscuits
Year Purchased: Late 1990s
Estimated Value: $2.50 per can*
Jeff Bezos has tightened up his diet and embarked on a heavy workout routine, hence why he looks so buff all the time. However, he wasn’t always the fittest U.S. billionaire—according to the tycoon, he used to eat an entire canister of Pillsbury biscuits every morning for breakfast during the late 1990s.
It was his now ex-wife who ended the habit, discouraging him from this poor dietary choice. A can of eight Pillsbury biscuits has nearly 1,400 calories, and Bezos, to make matters worse, would add a ton of butter to them. He’s moved on from this bad diet to one focused on whole foods (fitting, considering Amazon actually owns Whole Foods).
99. Dormant Lava Fields
Year Purchased: 2021
Estimated Value: $78 million*
Amazon owner Jeff Bezos isn’t afraid to live near lava fields. He owns a $78 million Hawaiian estate that sits on fourteen acres of them. He purchased these new digs in 2021, apparently concerned by volcanic activity. The home is located in Maui’s La Perouse Bay, a popular hiking destination for those who want to see the remnants of lava flows.
The landscape where Bezos lives is interesting, as it is a mix of lush green tropics combined with craggy, black, rocky fields. For the record, dormant volcanoes are those that haven’t erupted in a while but could do so in the future, if conditions are right.
100. Lincoln Stretch Limo
Year Purchased: 2010s
Estimated Value: $49,900*
Pulling up in a Lincoln Stretch Limousine is the epitome of class, and Jeff Bezos owns his own MKT luxury limo. He uses it for both business trips and fun trips, and he even showed up to the set of Star Trek Beyond in it. Bezos played an alien in the project, and he pulled up to film in the eight-seater limo.
Bezos’ Lincoln has a roomy interior, flat screens, a minibar, mood lighting, and a privacy partition. You can always rent one for around $100 an hour, but it is more fun when you’re worth billions, to have your own.
101. Ulysse Nardin Dual Time
Year Purchased: 2019
Estimated Value: $8,000-$10,000*
Jeff Bezos owns a Ulysses Nardine Dual Time, a timepiece that might seem rather modest when considering the Amazon CEO’s net worth. The Swiss sports watch costs $8,000 to $10,000, which means, with some saving up, one of us could own the same watch as the richest man in the world.
To be fair, Bezos does own a $42 million clock inside a hollowed-out Texas mountain, so maybe he feels like he doesn’t have to have anything flashy on his wrist. The Clock of the Long Now, as it’s called, tracks time through the Earth’s thermal cycles, clicking once a year and going around every hundred years. If there’s a new millennium, there’s a cuckoo that pops out.
102. PillPack
Year Purchased: 2018
Estimated Value: $750 million*
Amazon purchased PillPack, a prescription drug company, in 2018 as a way to drive an aggressive, cost-cutting way for people to save money on their medications. PillPack was founded in 2013, and Amazon paid $750 million for it, expecting its CEO, TJ Park, to do great things.
The full-service pharmacy packages your prescriptions, delivering them to your door for free. According to Amazon Pharmacy, PillPack is best suited to those who regularly take three or more medications daily. This is far from the first healthcare purchase Amazon has made—in 2022, it bought One Medical, a health service chain, for $3.9 billion.
103. Lamborghini Veneno Roadster
Year Purchased: 2014
Estimated Value: $5 million*
When it comes to cars, Jeff Bezos loves rarity and exclusivity. He also loves speed. He got all three of those features with the Lamborghini Veneno Roadster, as just nine of these supercars were built to honor Lamborghini’s fiftieth anniversary. The Roadster has a value of $5 million, if not more (these rare cars tend to appreciate in value, in some cases).
The Roadster is built for speed, with rear and front arches that have been designed to maximize airflow and minimize lift. Under the hood of this sleek supercar, you’ll find a 6.5L V12 engine that can blast the Veneno to 60 miles per hour in under 3 seconds.
104. Breakthrough Energy Ventures
Year Purchased: 2015
Estimated Value: $501.3 billion* (Investment Total As Of 2021)
Jeff Bezos isn’t just a billionaire businessman; he’s also a smart investor. The Amazon founder has a wide, diverse investment portfolio, and he has stakes in companies whose size rivals his own e-commerce site. For example, did you know that Bezos is both a co-founder and investor in Breakthrough Energy Ventures?
The goal of BEV is to reach net zero emissions by the year 2050. The Washington-based innovation accelerator was founded by Bill Gates eight years ago, and Bezos, along with an impressive group of private investors and businesspeople, helped him develop the capital to fund this passion project. BEV is a massive endeavor, with more than half a trillion dollars invested in the company by 2021.
105. Multiple Investments In Aviary
Year Purchased: 2007-2012
Estimated Value: $17 million*
Aviary is a company name that you might not have heard of, but it collected around $17 million from Jeff Bezos during a series of funding campaigns. The online, photo-editing platform saw Bezos invest $4 million (Venture) in January 2007, followed by $7 million (Series B) in October 2009.
In June 2012, Bezos invested $6 million (Venture, Lead) into Aviary. The billionaire Amazon CEO must have believed in the now-defunct platform back then, though Aviary went under in 2018, four years after it was acquired by Adobe. The fall of Aviary surprised many economists, as the company was backed by Bezos and Spark Capital, among other reputed investors.
106. A Very Interesting Interview Process
Year Purchased: 2002
Estimated Value: Priceless
According to Ann Hiatt, a former Amazon employee, Jeff has a very unique interview process. He is one of the world’s most successful men, and, as it turns out, just two questions determine whether you’ll work for him (and the strength of your resume, too, of course).
Hiatt said that, when she went to interview with Bezos, he asked her what her career goals were, as well as how many panes of glass there were in Seattle. The basis behind the second question was to determine Hiatt’s thought process when attempting to figure out something seemingly-impossible. Apparently, Bezos liked her answers, as he hired her on the spot in 2002.
107. A Way To Cheat Death (Possibly)
Year Purchased: 2021
Estimated Value: $3 billion* (Total Altos Labs Funding)
When you’re a billionaire, you might not have to pass on the way everyone else does. Jeff Bezos, along with other extremely rich businesspeople, has been funding Altos Labs, a “life science company” dedicated to restoring cells, cheating death, and beating aging at its own game.
This company is new, as it was just founded in 2022, and its goal is to create “life extension,” “specialized cell therapies” that can stop or even “reverse” human aging. In one round of funding, between two investors (Bezos being one of them), Altos Labs raised $3 billion in 2021. This rejuvenation startup is the first of its kind, and it will be interesting to see if it can make good on its promise to promote immortality.
108. Lookout
Year Purchased: 2014
Estimated Value: $150 million*
It’s rare for a company to get a nine-figure investment from Bezos Expeditions (most stay in the seven-figure range), and Lookout was one of those few businesses to hit a gold mine. The tech company got a $150 million investment from Bezos in 2014, and, when you read the company bio, it is easy to see why.
Lookout provides cloud-delivered, scalable security that protects all data accessed by a device, no matter the location, in any cloud application or on any premise. In layman’s terms, Lookout protects data without invading peoples’ privacy, and it has millions of customers, including government agencies and companies such as Vodafone, Verizon, AT&T, Microsoft, Apple, and Google.
109. An Aspen Ski Trip
Year Purchased: 2022
Estimated Value: $219 per day to ski*
Jeff and Lauren Sanchez hit the ski slopes in Aspen, Colorado, one of the world’s most famous skiing and snowboarding destinations, in 2022. The pair strapped on their ski boots and tried their luck on the many slopes in the area, leading TMZ and other outlets to use the headline, “Ski-sons Greetings” a million times.
The couple was on the slopes for nearly two hours before returning for lunch, and they were part of a big group that had, helpfully, a ski instructor. It’s not clear whether any of Jeff Bezos’ high-net-worth pals tagged along, but it’s obvious he and his beau, Sanchez, had a lot of fun.
110. GRAIL
Year Purchased: 2016
Estimated Value: $100 million*
In January 2016, GRAIL received the, well, Holy Grail of investments. Bezos Expeditions invested $100 million into the healthcare company, which was founded in 2015 as a San Francisco startup.
GRAIL’s mission is to develop an early screening test for cancer in people who are asymptomatic. In addition to Bezos, GRAIL also counted Bill Gates among its investors. In 2020, GRAIL made headlines when it filed for an IPO, even though it doesn’t have an actual product. GRAIL is in the process of developing an early-detection blood test, but it hasn’t come up with one yet. Despite that fact, it was purchased by Illumina in 2020 for $8 billion—that’s a huge valuation for a company that was, at the time, working with a hypothetical.
111. A Feud With Elon Musk
Year Purchased: N/A
Estimated Value: N/A
When you compare Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, it’s clear that the former has a very different personality from the latter. Musk is outspoken and eccentric, almost to a fault, while Bezos has a much more measured presence. That difference in personalities has led, according to People, Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, and more sources, to a feud lasting fifteen years.
The space race between Musk’s SpaceX and Bezos’ Blue Origin has metastasized the feud, which apparently began in the 2000s after the two had a contentious dinner at a diner together. In 2022, Musk slammed Amazon Prime’s Rings of Power series as weak, only adding to their long-standing rivalry.
112. Blue Origins Space Rangers
Year Purchased: 2022
Estimated Value: $3.6 million per episode* (Average Cost To Produce An Animated Series Episode)
Bezos is now going to be a voice actor, according to Fortune and other media outlets. He, Michael Strahan, and other celebrities have partnered with SMAC Productions and Genius Brands to produce an animated kids’ series called Blue Origins Space Rangers. The news broke in December of 2022, and it remains to be seen when the first episode will air.
The animated show will hopefully inspire future astronauts. It’s not clear what the budget will be, but Blue Origins Space Rangers likely won’t be unaffected by ballooning production costs. It costs around $3.6 million to produce an animated, half-hour, series episode nowadays.
113. Behance
Year Purchased: 2012
Estimated Value: $6.5 million*
Behance is a social media platform that Adobe owns, and Jeff Bezos invested $6.5 million into it in 2012. Unlike Aviary, which failed, Behance is still going, years later. The brand is the “largest creative network in the world” for “showcasing and discovering” artistic and creative work.
Headquartered in New York City, Behance makes money through its premium services, such as an online portfolio, fees from advertising, and money paid from recruiters who want to enlist new creative talent. Bezos’ sizable investment indicated that he had a lot of faith in Behance—and Adobe, too, even though Aviary, a photo editing Adobe platform in which he invested, went under in 2018.
114. Form Energy
Year Purchased: 2021
Estimated Value: $240 million* (Total Form Energy Fundraising, 2021)
Bill Gates, Richard Branson, and Jeff Bezos have all backed a new, green battery produced by Form Energy. Form Energy was founded in 2017, and its founder, Mateo Jaramillo, has a dream of completely reinventing the American energy storage industry with an iron-air battery.
Iron-air batteries will be cost-effective, multi-day, reliable, and fully renewable. Things are moving forward for Form Energy, as the company has raked in a total of $760 million in investments so far. In 2023, it was announced that Form Energy would be building a new, iron-air manufacturing plant in Weirton, West Virginia. This will bring jobs to the region, and it could lead to an entirely new ability to store energy in America.
115. Stark Economic Advice
Year Purchased: 2022
Estimated Value: Priceless, to some of us
Jeff Bezos is worth billions, so it stands to reason that he could have financial advice that might be useful to the rest of us. The Amazon founder came out in late 2022 with financial “dos and don’ts” in light of the current inflationary crisis. Everything is higher-priced now, and Bezos did an interview with CNN’ in which he gave some stark advice.
He urged us to put off spending on big items like new TVs, appliances, and cars, saying that delaying these non-essential expenditures is a way to keep “dry powder” (i.e. extra money) in the event that America’s economic downturn is prolonged.
116. Linden Lab
Year Purchased: 2006
Estimated Value: $11 million*
During the spring of 2006, Jeff Bezos invested $11 million during a Series B round of funding for Linden Lab. Bezos loves to invest, and he has one of the most diverse portfolios around, but you have to really have his trust for him to reach an eight-digit investment amount. Linden Lab is a U.S.-based technology company that is famous for creating Second Life.
Second Life is an online platform that lets you live a “second life” in the digital world, creating an avatar and interacting with users in a virtual world. As of 2021, Linden Lab is owned by Waterfield Group, which purchases profitable companies and helps them remain moneymakers.
117. 40 Grants To Combat Homelessness
Year Purchased: 2022
Estimated Value: $123 million*
Love him or hate him, you can’t deny that Jeff Bezos is quite charitable. In late 2022, the Amazon leader said that his foundation, Bezos Day 1 Families Fund Initiative, awarded forty grants to combat homelessness in America. The donations totaled $123 million, and they are part of Bezos’ pledge to donate $2 billion to fight the plight of the unhoused.
The donation couldn’t have come at a better time. According to The New York Times, the homelessness “crisis” in America is “getting worse.” More than half a million people in America are homeless, and states like California have seen homelessness spike since 2020. Rising costs of living increased rent prices, and the events of 2020 have all contributed to this nationwide crisis.
118. ChaCha
Year Purchased: 2006
Estimated Value: $6 million*
Not all of Jeff Bezos’s investments pan out, and his ill-fated bet on ChaCha is an example of that. He put $6 million into ChaCha, making himself a lead investor when the company was founded in 2005. This human-guided search engine provided real-time, free answers to questions entered through its website or app.
According to ChaCha, Bezos Expeditions, Bezos’ personal investment firm, was responsible for almost all of its development funds. Alas, as time went on, ChaCha began to struggle, and the platform discontinued its program due to “insufficient funds” in 2016. One month after that ill-fated announcement, ChaCha shut down completely due to a decline in ad revenue that made it unable to pay its debts.
119. A Desire To Buy A Sports Team
Year Purchased: TBD
Estimated Value: $5.6 billion* (Washington Commanders Franchise Value, 2022)
Unlike fellow billionaire (and arch nemesis) Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos tends to keep his cards close to his vest, in terms of his business and personal life. In an interview with CNN, he hinted that he wanted to buy the Washington Commanders, an NFL team, saying we would have to “wait and see” if he went through on it.
The Washington Post, Bleacher Report, USA Today, and more are all abuzz at this news, and Bezos did admit that football was his “favorite sport,” one that he played “growing up.” According to Front Office Sports, Bezos is “looking at” purchasing or investing the Suns and Mercury, too.
120. A Lot Of Bid Protests On Everything
Year Purchased: 1990s-Present
Estimated Value: $3 billion* (NASA Lunar Lander Offer)
According to Bloomberg Law, Jeff Bezos will go “scorched earth” on companies that try to infringe on his business territory, submitting “bid protests” on large government contracts awarded to competitors of Amazon. Legal experts have called this strategy “extraordinarily aggressive,” yet it is lucrative.
Bezos’ companies have entered big protests on everything from space launches to cloud contracts with the Pentagon. One of the largest contracts Bezos disputed was a $3 billion one with NASA over its lunar lander, muscling out competitors through the courts. It paid off, as Bezos got the contract, but it didn’t make the Amazon CEO many friends in the process. When asked by B. Law to comment on this strategy, both Bezos and Amazon declined.
121. Bezos Academy
Year Purchased: 2020
Estimated Value: $800,000 executive salary*
Jeff Bezos, like Kanye West, has joined the club of billionaires who are starting their own schools. Bezos is behind Bezos Academy, whose motto is “Light Every Fire.” According to the private preschool, its mission is to provide tuition-free, Montessori-esque preschool education to kids from underprivileged, low-income, and under-served communities.
In 2022, financial records showed that Bezos paid $800,000 to a former Amazon executive to run Bezos Academy. The free preschool has expanded quickly—since 2020, its founding, Bezos Academy has grown to fourteen total locations. While some feel the school is “strange” and “experimental,” others believe it is an excellent service to communities that are often overlooked.
122. CrowdRise
Year Purchased: 2014
Estimated Value: $23 million*
Founded in 2010, Crowdrise is a crowdfunding, for-profit platform that raises donations for charity. It was acquired in 2017 by the crowdfunding leader GoFundMe. Before that acquisition, Crowdrise had a lot of backers, including Jeff Bezos, who invested $23 million into the Detroit-based company in 2014.
Bezos Expeditions wasn’t the only financial backer taking part in Crowdrise’s funding—UTA Ventures, RatPac, CAA Ventures, and more were behind this charitable platform. Much like GoFundMe, Crowdrise took a percentage of the money raised as a way to make a profit (for reference, GoFundMe takes 2.9% (plus thirty cents) as a “small transaction fee per donation.”
123. A Tailor on Speed Dial
Year Purchased: 2021
Estimated Value: $200-$250*
We all saw the photos of Jeff Bezos’ launch into space via his Blue Origin company. He was wearing a blue spacesuit and cowboy boots, and tons of photos were snapped of his triumphant stride toward his ship.
Not all went smoothly before the launch, as Bezos had to have his own personal tailor flown in from Texas. According to The Independent, he had a meltdown over his spacesuit not fitting around the crotch, and, rather than that “volubly upset,” he quickly had his tailor hop on a private jet and come fix his suit before the big day.
124. The Remains Of The Day
Year Purchased: 1990s
Estimated Value: $13.99*
Farnam Street detailed a list of books that Jeff Bezos loves. The collection mostly contains nonfiction works, such as biographies of other business leaders and tomes on “successful habits.” But, there are some fictional works in Bezos’ library, including a copy of Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day.
The 1989 novel centers around a butler who works at Darlington Hall in Oxford, England. We won’t spoil the book for you, but Remains of the Day is, essentially, a novel about how class conditioning can ruin your own life and make you a part of your own subservience. An interesting read for a billionaire, to say the least.
125. Deep Sentinel
Year Purchased: 2017
Estimated Value: $7.4 million*
Deep Sentinel is a fascinating company, and we’re not the only ones who think so. In 2017, Jeff Bezos invested $7.4 million in a Series A round of funding into the live security company. Deep Sentinel, according to its company-provided bio, focuses on “live security” to “prevent crime” and stop crime in real-time.
This home security system is best suited for people who don’t want to put sensors around their homes, but still want a surveillance system that has built-in, professional-level monitoring. The batteries last two to three months, and it’s easy to see why Bezos, who owns a lot of high-net-worth real estate around the world, would be intrigued by a company such as Deep Sentinel.
126. 3.6-Million-Square-Foot Amazon Center
Year Purchased: 2021
Estimated Value: $200 million*
Located in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, this Amazon warehouse is massive. It is mind-boggling, and it’s as much a tourist attraction as the rest of the town. Opened in 2021, this fulfillment center is 3.6 million square feet, and its exterior is 92 feet tall.
3.6-Million-Square-Foot Amazon Center @Kevin Nixon/LinkedIn
The building, which is leased, is the largest factory that Amazon owns, thus far. According to Main Street Nashville, the center cost $200 million to build, adding 5,000 jobs to the Tennessee economy. In a statement, Amazon said that the new plant “underscores how integral” Central Tennessee is to the “operations” of the e-commerce giant.
127. D-Wave Systems
Year Purchased: 2012
Estimated Value: $30 million*
D-Wave Systems is yet another company in which Jeff Bezos has invested a lot of money (well, a lot to laypeople, that is). In October of 2012, Bezos invested $30 million (Venture) into D-Wave. D-Wave was founded in 1999, so it had thirteen years of longevity in the tech industry when Bezos made his move.
D-Wave Systems is a leader in the field of quantum computing, and it was the first business to sell computers to exploit the quantum effects within their operation. This publicly-traded company is based in Burnaby, Canada, and Bezos wasn’t the only investor—the Central Intelligence Agency was too. When you have the CIA behind you, you know you’re doing something right.
128. General Fusion
Year Purchased: 2011-2015
Estimated Value: $50 million*
General Fusion is yet another company in Burnaby, Canada in which Jeff Bezos has invested (the other one is D-Wave Systems). This Canadian business is currently developing a fusion power device using magnetized target fusion. Founded in 2002, General Fusion has around two-hundred employees, and it was founded by Dr. Michel Laberge.
Bezos signed on to General Fusion in 2011, investing $19.5 million in Series B funds. There was a Series C round in 2013, during which he invested an undisclosed amount. He capped off those funds with a whopping $27 million in venture capital in May of 2015.
