Who is behind Amazon?
Shows documented founders, leaders, board members, funders and owners.
Not who made decisions, or why.
A connection is not evidence of wrongdoing.
- Led by Jeff Bezos 1994 –
- Led by Jeff Bezos May 1996 – Jul 2021
On the record
Sourced links that no one presents as their own account, as recorded so far. Others may exist.
Founded by
- Jeff Bezos founded 1994 Primary record 1
Led by
- Jeff Bezos chair of 1994 – Primary record 2
- Jeff Bezos CEO of May 1996 – Jul 2021 Primary record 1
Board
-
John Doerr
board member of
Jun 1996
Primary record
3
Director from June 1996.
Money in
-
Mike Bezos
invested in
Feb 1995
$100,020
Primary record
34
582,528 shares at $0.1717 each, about $100,020. With the Gise Family Trust's purchase in July 1995, Jeff Bezos's parents put in about $245,573.
-
Jackie Bezos
invested in
Jul 1995
through the Gise Family Trust, $145,553
Primary record
3
847,716 shares at $0.1717 each, about $145,553.
-
Kleiner Perkins
invested in
Jun 1996
Series A preferred stock, $8M
Primary record
3
569,396 Series A preferred shares at $14.05, about $8.0 million, through two Kleiner Perkins funds.
Owners
- Jeff Bezos owns a stake in 8.8%, 950,434,581 shares, as of 24 Feb 2026 Primary record 2
Proof 4 sources
-
Amazon.com, Inc. annual report (Form 10-K) for 2025, Amazon, 6 Feb 2026.
Primary record
Mr. Bezos founded Amazon.com in 1994 and has served as Executive Chair since July 2021.
He has served as Chair of the Board since 1994 and served as Chief Executive Officer from May 1996 until July 2021
-
Amazon.com, Inc. 2026 proxy statement (Schedule 14A), Amazon, 9 Apr 2026.
Primary record
Mr. Bezos has been Chair of the Board since founding the Company in 1994.
As of February 24, 2026, we had 10,751,236,247 shares of common stock outstanding.
-
Amazon.com, Inc. registration statement (Form S-1/A), 14 May 1997, Amazon, 14 May 1997.
Primary record
Mr. Doerr has been a director of the Company since June 1996.
In February 1995, the Company sold 582,528 shares of Common Stock to Miguel A. Bezos at a price per share of $0.1717.
In July 1995, the Company sold 847,716 shares of Common Stock to the Gise Family Trust at a price per share of $0.1717. Jacklyn Gise Bezos is the trustee and beneficiary of the Gise Family Trust.
555,161 and 14,235 shares of Series A Preferred Stock at $14.05 per share to Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers VIII and KPCB Information Sciences Zaibatsu Fund II, respectively
-
Jeff Bezos: profile and interview, American Academy of Achievement.
Scholarship & press
The first initial start-up capital for Amazon.com came primarily from my parents, and they invested a large fraction of their life savings in what became Amazon.com.
How this answer is built
Lines on the record come first: sourced links that no one presents as their own account, each with its strongest source. Then every account recorded here gets its own column, A to Z, none ranked above another. A column quotes only that account's own words and shows the strength of its own sources. Disputed lines are listed apart, with the reason, and lines still being verified come last. Neither is counted. Withdrawn lines are never shown.
When a list is longer than the page shows, the links the public methodology ranks strongest stay (methodology 0.3), and the rest open in the explorer.
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