No matter how you feel about Amazon, it is evident that founder Jeff Bezos has become a rockstar in the entrepreneurial arena. He has made waves around the world as Amazon has seemingly taken over the internet and the sales industry. As of December 2021, he is the second-richest person in the world (according to Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index).
Graduating from Princeton University in 1986, Bezos holds a degree in electrical engineering and computer science. After graduation, he was offered positions with several technological companies and was eventually D. E. Shaw Co.’s fourth senior vice president at the age of 30. Then, in 1994, Bezos started Amazon out of his garage in Seattle, Washington. It originally started as an online bookstore and has since become a powerhouse in the e-commerce sector. In fact, Amazon is currently the world’s largest online sales company, the largest internet company by revenue, and the largest provider of virtual assistants. Bezos is also the owner of The Washington Post and Blue Origin, an aerospace company working on space travel for commercial use.
Throughout the years, Bezos has been involved in plenty of philanthropy, including donating to cancer research and American homelessness. In fact, he even posted on Twitter back in 2019, asking the public for ideas on causes to which he could donate. Then, he started the Bezos Earth Fund in an attempt to combat climate change. Later, in April of 2020, Bezos gave $100 million to Feeding America, a nonprofit that assists food banks and pantries around the U.S.
Through all of this, though, he has been severely criticized. Amazon has been called out for mistreatment of and underpaying workers, particularly during the pandemic in 2020. Amazon has become known as a company that will quickly hire – and quickly fire – while having employees work a ridiculous number of hours. Bezos has also been accused of not paying corporate taxes.
No one can say that Jeff Bezos hasn’t made a splash as one of the top entrepreneurs in the world. Sure, there has been controversy surrounding him, but Amazon continues to increase its revenue each year. I guess he must be doing something right.
