Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos: From Space to Wife to Amazon
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In addition to being the world’s leading e-commerce company, Amazon has become a pioneer in many other industries as well. From publishing to entertainment to space travel, Jeff Bezos and his team have pushed the boundaries of what’s possible for business leaders. Jeff Bezos is known for running his company like a start-up with minimal bureaucracy. The same can be said about his personal life too. He has been married for 25 years and he also keeps his extended family close by living near them in Seattle. In this article we’ll explore the history of Jeff Bezos from his early life to his rise in the business world today.
From Jeff Bezos to Jeff Blackburn
Jeff Bezos was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico on September 15, 1964. He is the eldest of five children, two boys and three girls. His father was a doctor who believed strongly in the power of education, and his mother encouraged him to be inquisitive, curious, and passionate. After high school, Bezos enrolled in the University of Chicago’s prestigious Phillips Exeter Academy with the hope of studying classical languages. But he soon realized that he had a passion for science instead, and he enrolled in the advanced math and physics program. Having completed his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, Bezos realized he had a knack for business. He decided that he wanted to pursue a career in the technology sector, which at the time was still in its infancy.
The Founder of Amazon.com
When Bezos was 22, he dropped out of college to work for a small computer hardware company in Seattle as a product manager. The name of the company was D. E. Shaw, which would later become one of the largest hedge fund conglomerates in the world. Bezos was the first employee hired at D. E. Shaw, and he worked there for eight years, leaving in 1998 when the company was acquired by Wall Street giant Merrill Lynch. When Merrill Lynch sold the company, they offered Bezos a job at their investment banking division along with a hefty salary hike. Bezos knew that technology was the future of business, and he chose to leave the banking sector instead. In July of 1995, Bezos launched a web store named ‘Amazon.com’ with his wife, MacKenzie Bezos. The initial idea was to sell books online, and they registered the company with the name “Amazon” to evoke the word “amber” since they sold items of a glowing color. Over the years, Amazon has grown into the largest online retailer in the world. In 2017, the company reported a revenue of $178 billion with a net income of $6.4 billion.
Jeff Bezos: Tough and Smart
Bezos is known for his tough attitude towards his employees. He told The New Yorker that he believes that the best leaders are those who are tough and smart. Bezos has been criticized for being a “workaholic.” His critics often point out that he often spends long hours at work and rarely takes any time off. But Bezos has always maintained that he works hard so that his employees can work hard. Bezos is also well-known for his love for books. He’s been quoted as saying that reading is what keeps him sane, and he often spends his off-hours reading. He has also been known to take reading breaks while working in the middle of the night. Bezos is also a big fan of sports and plays them regularly with his team at Amazon. He also loves to travel and visit new places. His 2015 holiday wish was to visit Mars, and he even has a Mars Explorer Mission logo as his smartphone’s wallpaper.
Jeff Bezos: CEO of a Tech Company at an Elite Level
As CEO of Amazon, Bezos has led the business to become one of the most respected companies in the world, even at an elite level. In the Forbes Global 2000, Amazon is at the 8th place, the joint first with Exxon Mobil. It is one of the only technology companies to have made it to the list of the world’s leading corporations. Amazon is also considered to be one of the most progressive companies of the 21st century. Amazon is world’s leading advocate for gender equality and LGBTQ rights. Bezos has been a strong advocate for women in the workforce and for LGBT rights. Amazon is also a leader in adopting new technologies like artificial intelligence and robotics to address workplace challenges. For instance, Amazon’s fulfillment centers use robots to speed up the process of inventory management. Bezos has also mentioned that Amazon wants to invent things that haven’t been invented yet.
Jeff Bezos: CEO of Blue Origin and Space Traveler
Bezos is also the CEO of another company, Blue Origin. The company is based in Washington state with the aim of developing low-cost human space flight technologies. The first commercial services offered by the company were Blue Moon, a lunar tourism venture, and Blue Flame, a suborbital tourism venture. Blue Origin has been developing New Shepard, a reusable orbital launch system that could one day bring tourists to space. Bezos has been quoted as saying that space travel is the next great adventure, and it’s part of human nature to want to explore and be curious. In 2015, Bezos announced his long-term goal of reaching the surface of Mars. He said that the Bezos mission to Mars would be called “Blue Moon,” and it would be the first human-to-Mars tourist flight.
