Entertainment

Jeff Bezos settles his divorce with wife MacKenzie, giving her $32billion of his Amazon shares

Written by MaxFM on April 5, 2019

Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie have settled their divorce – and the richest man in the world got off lightly.

Jeff, 55, will keep 75 percent of their joint $144billion Amazon stake, leaving MacKenzie with just a quarter which represents a four percent stake in the company worth $35.8billion.

Jeff’s 12 percent stake is now worth around $107.5billion which allows him to retain his title as the richest man in the world.

He will also take voting control of his ex-wife’s remaining shares, and has been given her interest in The Washington Post, which he bought for $250million in 2013, and Blue Origin, his space travel company which he is currently investing in.

The pair announced the details in tweets on Thursday afternoon but offered no explanation as to why MacKenzie, who has helped build Amazon since it launched in 1994, will walk away with just half of what she is entitled to after 26 years of marriage.

The Vanguard Group is the second largest Amazon shareholder with 30million shares which represent a 5.6 percent stake in the company. The way the divorce splits the shares, Jeff keeps more than double the second shareholder’s control.

In her tweet, the 48-year-old said she was ‘grateful’ that the process was over and was ‘excited’ for the ‘next phase’.