The world cannot get enough of billionaire Jeff Bezos and his helicopter-flying fiancée, Lauren Sánchez. Their wedding in Venice has turned into a movie in the making, with romance, drama, and action (read: protests) in equal measure. While most of this hoopla surrounds his billionaire status, Bezos is currently the world’s third-richest man, worth about $226 billion, it is also a testament to the support of his ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott. In many ways, the mega-rich life Bezos leads today is owing to Scott’s unwavering backing. The initial idea to start Amazon came from Jeff Bezos, who was inspired by the rapid growth of the internet, but one cannot ignore that MacKenzie Scott played a crucial role in the early days.
They say, no matter where you go, remember where you came from. Bezos may always cherish his early days, and we invite you to take a stroll down memory lane to see how life panned out for two individuals who started a life together that blossomed into immense success. Bezos was just 30 and had been married for a year. “I told my wife MacKenzie that I wanted to quit my job and go do this crazy thing that probably wouldn’t work, since most startups don’t, and I wasn’t sure what would happen after that,” he shared.
At the time, he held a cushy position as a senior vice president at the Wall Street quantitative hedge fund D. E. Shaw & Co. in New York. Not one to underestimate her husband, Scott gave him the go-ahead and her full support, even when his then-boss vehemently discouraged the idea. Bezos credited MacKenzie’s recognition of his passions.
“As a young boy, I’d been a garage inventor. I’d invented an automatic gate closer out of
cement-filled tires, a solar cooker that didn’t work very well made from an umbrella and tinfoil, and baking-pan alarms to entrap my siblings,” he recalled, per CNBC. “I’d always wanted to be an inventor, and she wanted me to follow my passion.” As for the boss who didn’t show the same belief in Bezos that Scott did, he must surely regret it today.
Mackenzie is known for her unmatched philanthropy today, but she was one of Amazon’s first employees, who helped build the company from the ground up. From drafting the business plan, brainstorming the name, managing early contracts, and even shipping orders, she was in the trenches with him every step of the way. But what truly matters is the faith of the one person who helps you move mountains.
Today, Amazon boasts a market cap of $2.25 trillion, but the people who started it together parted ways years ago. Owing to the success of Amazon, MacKenzie Scott and Jeff Bezos have one of the costliest divorces in history. In their divorce settlement, Scott received 25 % of their shared Amazon stake, valued at roughly $36 billion.
Note – As of writing this article, Jeff Bezos has a net worth of $226.7 billion, according to Forbes. GDP data were compiled and analyzed using the latest publicly available information from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
