The ex-wife of Bezos, co-founder of Amazon, keeps 31,000 million in shares after the divorce
Mackenzie Bezos will keep 25% of the stake that she shared with her husband and renounces the properties in 'The Washington Post' and the space company Blue Origin
Mackenzie Bezos, the ex-wife of the richest man in the world, Jeff Bezos, will keep after the divorce 25% of the shares that the couple had in Amazon, the company they created together more than two decades ago and which is the basis of their fortune . Between the two they had 16% of Amazon's shares and now she will control 4%, valued at 35,000 million dollars (about 31,000 million euros) and Jeff Bezos will keep the rest, about 12%, now valued at about 107,000 million dollars (slightly less than 96,000 million euros).
— MacKenzie Scott (@mackenziescott) April 4, 2019
The announcement was made on Twitter by Mackenzie Bezos herself after weeks of speculation about the final terms of one of the juiciest divorces for the public, not only from the point of view of the heart, but because of its significance for one of the largest companies of the world. This Thursday's announcement provides peace of mind regarding the control of the company, which is still in the hands of those who are considered its true guru, and also clears doubts about a possible destabilizing power struggle.
Mackenzie Bezos, whose maiden name was Tuttle, announced the divorce agreement through the same medium that announced her separation on February 9 after 25 years of marriage. In a message on Twitter, she wrote: "I am grateful to have completed the process of dissolving my marriage with Jeff, with mutual support and everyone who has kindly contacted us, and looking forward to starting the next phase as parents and friends."
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) April 4, 2019
“I am happy to give him all of my interests in The Washington Post and Blue Origin, and 75% of our Amazon shares, plus control over the votes of my shares, to support his contributions alongside the teams of these incredible companies. ”Continues the message. “I am excited about my own plans. Grateful for the past while I wait for what comes next. "
Since this year, Jeff Bezos is the richest man in the world. The founder of Amazon has a fortune of 131,000 million dollars according to Forbes and 150,000 million according to Bloomberg. The Bezos family owns 16% of Amazon, a company that had a turnover of 230,000 million in 2018, with profits of 10,000 million dollars. Under Washington State law, a no-deal divorce could have resulted in splitting to 50% of everything the couple has earned after marriage, which would have made MacKenzie Bezos the richest woman in the world. Right now that distinction belongs to Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, heir to the L'Oreal empire, which according to Forbes has $ 49 billion.
Jeff Bezos published his own message on the social network with terms similar to those of his ex-wife. "In all of our work, MacKenzie's capabilities have been clear," he wrote. “She has been an extraordinary companion, ally and mother. She is capable, bright and loving, and I know that I will always continue to learn from her in the future. "
The Bezos' divorce came as a surprise in early January, followed by an entanglement that has placed the world's richest man in a strange position as a heart figure. A tabloid owned by an editor friend of Donald Trump immediately later posted private text messages from Bezos with Lauren Sanchez, a former television host with whom he allegedly had an extramarital affair since the previous fall.
Bezos ordered an investigation by a security adviser to find out the origin of the messages. The result of this private investigation indicates that it was an operation originating in Saudi Arabia to hack private information from Bezos' phone. The mogul has hinted that it is a political operation against him, given the enmity of President Trump, who constantly attacks the Post's coverage of him. In between, Bezos accused the editor of the magazine that made the alleged romance, David Pecker, of attempted blackmail.
