Jeff Bezos, born Jeffrey Preston Bezos on January 12, 1964, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is an American entrepreneur best known as the founder, executive chairman, and former CEO of Amazon, the world's largest e-commerce and cloud computing company

. He graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University in 1986 with degrees in electrical engineering and computer science

. Bezos founded Amazon in 1994, initially as an online bookstore, which rapidly expanded into a vast e-commerce platform offering a wide variety of products and services including cloud computing, streaming, and artificial intelligence

. Under his leadership, Amazon became the largest online retailer and a dominant internet company by revenue

. In addition to Amazon, Bezos founded the aerospace company Blue Origin in 2000, aiming to develop sub-orbital spaceflight and long-term space exploration

. He personally flew to space aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard vehicle in 2021

. Bezos also purchased the major American newspaper The Washington Post in 2013 for $250 million and has invested in various ventures through his firm Bezos Expeditions

. He stepped down as Amazon's CEO in July 2021 to focus on other projects, including Blue Origin and philanthropic efforts

. As of May 2025, Bezos's net worth is estimated at around $220.9 billion, making him one of the richest individuals globally and the third richest person in the world

. He has been recognized for his significant impact on e-commerce, technology, and space exploration