Jeff Bezos, chairman and founder of Amazon, sold over 3.3 million shares worth approximately USD 737 million as part of a prearranged trading plan. The sale contributes to his broader strategy to offload up to 25 million shares by May 2026. Despite the sell-off, Bezos remains Amazon’s largest individual shareholder.
Jeff Bezos, the founder and executive chairman of Amazon, has sold more than 3.3 million shares of the company, totaling approximately USD 736.7 million, as revealed in a financial disclosure filed on July 2. The transaction is part of a pre-arranged trading plan adopted in March 2025.
Bezos, who stepped down as Amazon CEO in 2021, remains the largest individual shareholder. Under the current trading plan, he intends to sell up to 25 million Amazon shares by May 29, 2026. This sale follows a previous arrangement made in February 2024, where he sold up to 50 million shares through January 2025.
The sale comes shortly after Bezos tied the knot with media personality Lauren Sanchez in a grand wedding held in Venice, Italy. The extravagant three-day event was reported to cost nearly USD 50 million and attracted global attention.
While offloading stock, Bezos continues to direct his resources toward philanthropic and exploratory ventures. He has pledged to sell around USD 1 billion in Amazon shares annually to fund Blue Origin, his space exploration company. Additionally, he has contributed shares to Day 1 Academies, a nonprofit initiative establishing Montessori-inspired preschools across various U.S. states.
As of the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Bezos holds the third spot with an estimated net worth of USD 240 billion. He trails Elon Musk (USD 363 billion) and Mark Zuckerberg (USD 260 billion).
Bezos’s methodical stock sell-offs highlight his ongoing strategy to diversify investments while continuing philanthropic and business ambitions beyond Amazon.