Jeff Bezos

Jeffrey Preston Bezos is an American businessman, media proprietor and investor. He is the founder, executive chairman, and former president and CEO of Amazon, the world's largest e-commerce and cloud computing company. He is the second wealthiest person in the world, with a net worth of US$ 211 billion as of July 16, 2024, according to Forbes. He was the wealthiest person from 2017 to 2021, according to both the Bloomberg Billionaires Index and Forbes.

Some of the key events about Jeff Bezos

1994
Founded Amazon as an online bookstore
1997
Took Amazon public through an initial public offering (IPO)
1999
Sued by Barnes & Noble for alleged patent infringement related to Amazon's "1-Click" ordering system
2000
Established Blue Origin, a spaceflight company
2000
Criticized for Amazon's aggressive patent strategy, which some viewed as stifling innovation
2003
Rescued the company from near-bankruptcy during the dot-com crash
2007
Introduced the Amazon Kindle e-reader
2011
Faced controversy over poor working conditions in Amazon warehouses, including excessive heat and productivity pressures
2013
Acquired The Washington Post for $250 million
2014
Engaged in a public dispute with book publisher Hachette, delaying shipments and removing pre-order buttons for their books
2015
Launched Amazon Prime Air, a drone delivery service concept
2015
Criticized for Amazon's corporate culture following a New York Times exposé describing it as a harsh and unforgiving workplace
2017
Became the world's richest person for the first time
2017
Became the world's richest person, drawing criticism for wealth inequality and Amazon's impact on small businesses
2018
Launched the Bezos Day One Fund with a $2 billion commitment to help homeless families and create preschools
2018
Faced backlash for Amazon's HQ2 search, which was seen as pitting cities against each other for tax incentives
2019
Announced divorce from MacKenzie Scott, leading to public scrutiny of personal life and division of assets
2020
Criticized for Amazon's handling of worker safety during the COVID-19 pandemic and firing of employees who spoke out
2021
Successfully completed Blue Origin's first crewed flight to space
2021
Faced allegations of anti-competitive practices and monopolistic behavior during a U.S. House antitrust hearing

Disclaimer: This material is written based on information taken from open sources, including Wikipedia, news media, podcasts, and other public sources.