Jeff Bezos wraps up massive Amazon share sale, netting US$5.7 billion
The sales, which began when Bezos unloaded US$737 million around his weekend nuptials in Venice, were part of a trading plan for up to 25 million shares that he adopted earlier this year. He sold the last of the 25 million on Wednesday (Jul 23) and Thursday, divesting about 4.2 million shares for US$954 million, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Friday.
The divestitures come as Amazon stock has surged 38 per cent from its recent low in late April. The company will report earnings next week as investors wait to see whether its heavy spending on artificial intelligence pays off. Bezos has now sold over US$50 billion of Amazon shares since 2002, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Representatives for Amazon and Bezos did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Amazon chairman still owns about 884 million shares, or more than 8 per cent of the company. He's the third-richest person in the world, with his Amazon stake making up most of his US$252.3 billion fortune, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. All of the sales were executed under a 10b5-1 trading plan, which are often used by company executives to avoid running afoul of insider-trading laws.
Bezos historically is a frequent seller, and last year unloaded 75 million Amazon shares, netting US$13.6 billion. He typically uses the proceeds to fund his other ventures, such as space company Blue Origin.
He has also given away shares worth roughly US$190 million to non-profits in 2025. His only purchase of Amazon stock in records going back to 2002 was two years ago when he bought a single share for US$114.77.
So far, Bezos' US$5.7 billion in stock sales dwarfs other top insider sellers this year, including Oracle chief executive officer Safra Catz, who sold shares worth US$2.5 billion in the first half, and Dell Technologies' Michael Dell, who offloaded a US$1.2 billion position. BLOOMBERG
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