Following the news that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his novelist wife MacKenzie are divorcing, one question is looming on everyone’s minds: how are they going to go about splitting his massive $140billion fortune?
Following the news that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his novelist wife MacKenzie are divorcing, one question is looming on everyone’s minds: how are they going to go about splitting his massive $140billion fortune?
Jeff owes a large chunk of his wealth to his 16 per cent stake in Amazon. He founded the e-commerce giant in 1994, one year after he and MacKenzie got married.
The mogul passed Bill Gates to become the richest man in the world last year, and is now worth an estimated $136.9billion.
That number includes the five impressive properties he and MacKenzie own throughout the country.
Between their properties in Medina, Washington; Beverly Hills, California; Van Horn, Texas; Washington, DC; and New York City, the couple are thought to be the 25th-largest landowners in the United States.
Medina, Washington
The Bezos own two homes on a large property in Medina, an exclusive Seattle suburb that is also home to Bill Gates.
They paid $10million for the 5.3-acre property in 1998, according to the Wall Street Journal.
One of the homes covers 20,600 square feet with five bedrooms and five bathrooms. The other is 8,300 square feet with five bedrooms and five bathrooms. The latter is rumored to have cost $53million to build.
The estate with 310 feet of Lake Washington shoreline underwent a $28million renovation in 2010.
The Bezos own two homes in Medina, an exclusive Seattle suburb. They paid $10million for the 5.3-acre property in 1998
Beverly Hills, California
Jeff and MacKenzie also own two homes in Beverly Hills, California. They bought the first for $24.45million in 2007 and snatched up a neighboring property 10 years later in 2017 for $12.9million.
The first home is a seven-bed, seven-bath Spanish-style mansion with a greenhouse, tennis court, swimming pool, six car garage and four fountains.
Neighbors reportedly include A-listers Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed and Walter Matthau.
The second home is far more modest at just 4,568 square feet with just four bedrooms.
Jeff and MacKenzie also own two homes in Beverly Hills, California. They bought the first (above) for $24.45million in 2007 and snatched up a neighboring property 10 years later in 2017 for $12.9million
The aerial shot above shows the entire Bezos compound – which consists of two neighboring properties – in Beverly Hills
West Texas
The majority of the Bezos’ land holdings are in West Texas, where the family owns an estimated 400,000 acres in Culberson and Hudspeth counties east of El Paso.
Most of the Texas land was purchased using limited-liability companies named for famous explorers, according to the Wall Street Journal.
It includes the family’s 30,000-acre Figure 2 ranch outside of Van Horn, which serves as a reminder of the summers Jeff spent on his grandparents’ ranch growing up.
Figure 2 serves as the home base for Jeff’s private space company Blue Origin, which was founded in 2001.
A portion of the Bezos’ net worth comes from Blue Origin, which is valued at somewhere between $1billion and $28billion.
It is difficult to determine the specific value of the company because of the lack of details available about the enterprise, and the fact that Jeff is the sole shareholder, Chad Anderson, CEO of venture fund Space Angels, told Bloomberg.
Jeff said in April 2017 that he funds Blue Origin through the sale of ‘about $1billion a year of Amazon stock’.
The majority of the Bezos’ land holdings are in West Texas, where the family owns an estimated 400,000 acres in Culberson and Hudspeth counties east of El Paso. One of the holdings is a 30,000-acre Figure 2 ranch outside of Van Horn (above)
Figure 2 is also the home base of Jeff Bezos’ space exploration company Blue Origin, which was incorporated in 2001. The firm made history in 2015 when it successfully launched and landed the reusable rocket, New Shepard (above)
Washington, DC
In 2016 the Bezos dropped a cool $23million on a former textile museum in the Kalorama neighborhood of Washington, DC.
The 27,000 square foot space was built in 1912 and occupies a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.
Kalorma is known to be an enclave for Washington power-players including the Obamas, who own a $5.3million home nearby, and Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.
Jeff’s other big investment in the capital is The Washington Post, which he purchased in August 2013 for $250million. The paper is included in his estimated net worth.
In 2016 the Bezos dropped a cool $23million on a former textile museum in the Kalorama neighborhood of Washington, DC
The 27,000 square foot space was built in 1912 and occupies a spot on the National Register of Historic Places
New York, New York
While his e-commerce empire just recently announced its move to New York City, Jeff Bezos has owned real estate in the city for nearly two decades.
The couple bought a pad in Manhattan’s ritzy Central Park West in 1999 for $7.7million. The previous owner was former Sony Music executive Tommy Mottola.
The home is made up of not one but three interconnected apartments in the Century building.
The Bezos’ bought a pad in Manhattan’s Central Park West for $7.7million in 1999
The home is made up of not one but three interconnected apartments in the Century building (above)