Even while the multi-billion dollar divorce would make Mackenzie Bezos the third richest woman in the world, it certainly will not dismiss Jeff Bezos from the top spot as the world’s richest man.
Even while the multi-billion divorce between Amazon’s founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie Bezos would make the latter the third richest woman in the world, it certainly will not dismiss Jeff Bezos from the top spot as the world’s richest man.
MacKenzie in a tweet on Thursday said that she will give all her “interests in the Washington Post and Blue Origin, and 75% of our Amazon stock plus voting control of my shares.”
Jeff Bezos announced on Thursday that around 4 per cent of Amazon’s stock will be transferred to MacKenzie. This translates into over $35 billion. However, Jeff Bezos will continue to be the richest man in the world with a net worth of more than $110 billion, ahead of around $99.5 billion fortune of Microsoft’s founder Bill Gates, Forbes reported. Jeff’s net worth, as per Forbes, is $151 billion currently.
For MacKenzie, she would be behind around $52.9 billion net worth of L’Oréal’s Francoise Bettencourt Meyers and Walmart heiress Alice Walton whose net worth is $45 billion.
“In all our work together, MacKenzie’s abilities have been on full display. She has been an extraordinary partner, ally, and mother,” Jeff Bezos tweeted on Thursday.
According to an SEC filing that detailed the transfer of shares, Jeff Bezos will still have voting control over his wife’s shares. However, this would cease if MacKenzie sells shares on the open market or gives them to qualifying nonprofits.
The divorce, which is likely to be completed in early July, is perhaps the biggest divorce deal in world history, according to Forbes. The list of ultrarich divorces also includes billionaire casino mogul Steve Wynn and his wife Elaine Wynn wherein she received around $850 million, and billionaire investor and former ‘bond king’ Bill Gross and wife Susan Gross. Susan got $1.3 billion in the settlement.
Married since last 25 years, the power couple Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos announced their split in January. Jeff Bezos intimate text messages with news anchor and entertainment reporter Lauren Sanchez were leaked by the celebrity news tabloid National Enquirer. Jeff Bezos had later accused the tabloid of extortion and blackmail.
