Jamie Spencer
Bezos to Sell 25 Million Shares Over the Next Year
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has announced plans to sell up to 25 million shares of the company over the next year, according to a financial filing made on Friday. The sale, which would amount to approximately $4.8 billion at current prices, is part of a pre-established trading plan adopted by Bezos on March 4. Although Bezos stepped down as CEO in 2021, he remains Amazon’s largest shareholder, and the sale marks his second significant offloading of company stock in recent months.
Amazon’s First-Quarter Earnings and Tariff Concerns
The announcement comes shortly after Amazon’s first-quarter earnings report, which exceeded expectations for both profit and revenue. However, the company’s forecast for operating income in the upcoming quarter fell short of Wall Street’s expectations. The report also highlighted Amazon’s preparation for the uncertainty surrounding President Donald Trump’s new tariffs, with the company caught in the crosshairs of the White House this week. A report indicating that Amazon planned to display tariff costs to shoppers led to a personal call from Trump to Bezos. Amazon quickly clarified that no such change was in the works.
Bezos’ Previous Stock Sales and Focus on Blue Origin
This sale follows Bezos’ offloading of approximately $13.5 billion worth of Amazon shares last year, marking his first sale of Amazon stock since stepping down as CEO. Since then, Bezos has increasingly focused his efforts on his space exploration company, Blue Origin, as well as his $10 billion climate and biodiversity fund. The proceeds from these stock sales have been used to fund both Blue Origin and the Day One Fund, which Bezos launched in 2018 to provide education in low-income communities and combat homelessness.
Bezos Shifts Focus Away from Amazon
Since transitioning the CEO role to Andy Jassy, Bezos has scaled back his involvement with Amazon, spending more time on his philanthropic and space ventures. However, despite his reduced role at Amazon, the company remains a central part of his wealth and legacy. The planned share sale reflects Bezos’ ongoing strategy of funding his external endeavors while still maintaining a significant stake in Amazon, which he founded in 1994 and transformed into one of the world’s largest and most influential companies.
