Washington D.C. [USA]: Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos will retain control over 75 per cent of his stock in the company and gain voting rights of the remaining shares of his former wife MacKenzie Bezos, under a divorce settlement, the pair said on Thursday.
“Grateful to have finished the process of dissolving my marriage with Jeff with support from each other and everyone who reached out to us in kindness,” MacKenzie said on twitter message that was retweeted by Jeff. The record divorce settlement was a closely watched matter of corporate governance affecting one of the world’s richest companies, with a market capitalization of USD 890 billion, and the world’s wealthiest person.
“Happy to be giving him all of my interests, in the Washington Post and Blue Origin, and 75 per cent of Amazon stock plus voting control of my shares to support his continued contributions with the teams of these incredible companies,” MacKensie said. MacKenzie, 48, will be left with four per cent of the company share, a stake which is worth roughly USD 36 billion based on Amazon’s market value, The Washington Post reported.
Jeff Bezos, listed as the world’s richest man by Forbes this year, is worth at least USD 107 billion, based on his Amazon holdings alone. Prior to the divorce settlement, Jeff was worth USD 131 billion. The divorce should be settled in roughly 90 days, according to an Amazon regulatory filing Thursday. Earlier in January, Bezos and his wife MacKenzie Bezos announced their divorce after 25 years of marriage, following the leak of romantic texts exchanged between Bezos and American news anchor Lauren Sanchez by the National Enquirer.
