"I was looking for a woman who could rescue me from a Third World prison," Jeff Bezos said in a rare openness interview over a year ago, in which Bezos' own brother asked the questions. Meant with the statement was Bezos' wife MacKenzie, with whom the Amazon founder and richest man in the world is now married for 25 years, and with whom he has four children.
One could say with a wink on today's Wednesday: The concern about imprisonment in a Third World country drives the multi-billionaire, who according to "Forbes" has a fortune of about 136 billion dollars, apparently no longer around. Because he does not need his wife anymore.
The real reasons are likely to be others: On Twitter Amazon boss Jeff Bezos (54) and his wife MacKenzie (48) announced their separation. They had decided to divorce, the two said in a joint statement.
CLEMENS BILAN / EPA-EFE / REX
Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos married in 1993. The woman, who is now a writer (American Book Award 2006), had been with Jeff Bezos at hedge fund firm DE Shaw on Wall Street in the early 1990s. Later, MacKenzie Bezos was one of the first employees of Amazon, where she was initially responsible for the accounting and finance according to media.
In the propagated corporate history of the online group, she is often referred to as the one who has supported her husband's step into self-employment. Jeff Bezos had worked for various investment firms on Wall Street before founding Amazon in 1993.
As a married couple have spent a great time, it says in the statement. As a parent, friend and partner, you will stay connected in different companies and see it as a good future.
pic.twitter.com/Gb10BDb0x0
- Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) January 9, 2019The divorce should still be expensive. Jeff Bezos is the richest man in the world, with a fortune of $ 136 billion. Just a few months ago, Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos founded a charitable foundation called "Day One Fund."
How expensive is the divorce?
A role could play, that the US-State Washington, where the Bezos' are at home, according to US-Station CNBC a "community property state" is. This means that the entire fortune accumulated during the marriage will be divided by two at the end. Since Amazon was founded about a year after the marriage, MacKenzie could insist on half of its corporate-based assets totaling about $ 137 billion, CNBC said. That would mean she could claim up to $ 66 billion.
If such a commitment were made to Jeff Bezos, he would probably have to sell Amazon shares and reduce his stake in the company, CNBC continued. However, it would seem more likely that MacKenzie would not risk family fortune in this way, but would instead rather continue to grow in a proven manner.
The most expensive divorce in the US so far, according to CNBC, was that of casino mogul Steve Wynn and his wife Elaine in 2010, estimated at $ 1 billion. Oil tycoon Harold Hamm had to issue a check for $ 974.8 million in 2012 as part of his divorce, the broadcaster said.
Investors on the stock market apparently reacted unsettled to the news of the separation of the couple Bezos. The shares of Amazon slipped immediately after becoming known by about 1 percent in the downside, but caught again and recorded a short time later a minimum profit.