Jeff Bezos

Founder and Executive Chair Amazon

Last Reviewed: October 1, 2026

Executive Summary

Jeff Bezos founded Amazon in 1994 and ran it as chief executive for a quarter of a century before handing the job to Andy Jassy in July 2021. He remains Executive Chair. The company he started is now the largest in the United States by revenue: in June 2026 Amazon displaced Walmart at the top of the Fortune 500, with more than $700 billion of revenue in 2025. Outside Amazon he has built a second portfolio of ventures and causes. He founded Blue Origin, owns The Washington Post, chairs the Bezos Earth Fund and, since late 2025, co-leads the AI company Project Prometheus.

Career Highlights

• Founded Amazon in 1994 and has chaired its board since then.
• Chief Executive Officer of Amazon from May 1996 to July 2021, and President for most of that period.
• Executive Chair of Amazon since July 2021.
• Founded Blue Origin and owns The Washington Post.
• Co-founded Project Prometheus in February 2025 and has been its co-CEO since November 2025.
• Executive Chair of the Bezos Earth Fund and founder of the Bezos Day One Fund.

Professional Journey

Bezos studied electrical engineering and computer science at Princeton University. In 1994 he founded Amazon and became chair of its board. He served as President from the founding until June 1999 and again from October 2000, and as Chief Executive Officer from May 1996.

Over the next 25 years Amazon grew into a group spanning its online stores, cloud computing through Amazon Web Services and advertising. In July 2021 Bezos stepped down as President and CEO and became Executive Chair, handing the chief executive role to Andy Jassy, who had built AWS. Amazon’s 2026 proxy credits Bezos with “his customer-focused point of view, his willingness to encourage invention, his long-term perspective” as founder and Executive Chair.

By 2025 the company he founded had revenue above $700 billion. In June 2026 Fortune named Amazon No. 1 on the Fortune 500, ending Walmart’s 13-year run at the top. In the second quarter of 2026 Amazon reported net sales of $200.6 billion, up 20 percent.

His other ventures are listed in Amazon’s proxy. He founded Blue Origin, the space company, with the vision of millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. He owns The Washington Post. In February 2025 he co-founded the AI company Project Prometheus, and he has been its co-CEO since November 2025. He holds no other public company board seats.

His philanthropy is on a similar scale. He founded the Bezos Earth Fund with a commitment of $10 billion in grants within the current decade to fight climate change and protect nature, and he is its Executive Chair. He also founded the Bezos Day One Fund, a $2 billion commitment that funds non-profits helping families experiencing homelessness and builds non-profit preschools in low-income communities.

Education

Princeton University

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science