Amazon founder Jeff Bezos sold over 3.3 million shares of the company in a transaction valued at approximately $736.7 million, according to a financial filing made public on Tuesday.
Stock Sale Part of Planned Trading Strategy
The sale follows a previously arranged trading plan Bezos adopted in March. Under this plan, he intends to sell up to 25 million shares of Amazon through May 29, 2026. Bezos has been regularly selling Amazon shares for several years but remains the company’s largest individual shareholder.
Bezos stepped down as Amazon’s CEO in 2021 but continues as chairman. He has indicated that he plans to sell about $1 billion in Amazon stock annually to support his space exploration venture, Blue Origin. Additionally, Bezos has donated shares to his nonprofit, Day 1 Academies, which aims to establish Montessori-inspired preschools in multiple states.
Recent Personal Milestones
This stock sale comes shortly after Bezos married Lauren Sanchez in a lavish, three-day wedding in Venice. The event, reportedly costing around $50 million, attracted notable celebrities and sparked protests from some locals.
Bezos is currently ranked third on Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index with an estimated net worth of $240 billion. He trails Tesla CEO Elon Musk, valued at $363 billion, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, at $260 billion.
What The Author Thinks
Jeff Bezos’ continued sale of Amazon shares highlights the delicate balance billionaires must maintain between funding ambitious ventures like space exploration and managing personal wealth responsibly. While these sales provide capital for Blue Origin and charitable causes, the public scrutiny around such transactions reminds us of the broader questions about wealth distribution and social impact in today’s economy.
Featured image credit: Daniel Oberhaus via Flickr
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