How has Lauren Sanchez changed Jeff Bezos? Amazon founders' transformation from 'nerd' with receding hairline to 'swole' tech billionaire

Daily Mail​

3 days ago

At 61 years old, most people may look back at their twenty-something-year-old selves with envy - but it couldn't be less true for Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos.
The shopping platform founder is truly amid his halcyon days as a sexagenarian, with an estimated net worth of $224.6 billion - and at the helm of a ground breaking 'space tourism' project.
Beyond being one of the most powerful men in the world, he has a wedding to stunning journalist-turned-model Lauren Sanchez, 55, on the way.
It's a far cry from the meek 'nerd' with a receding hairline who got his start working in McDonald's as a young man.
Jeff now boasts a sculpted body - the result of a strict diet and training regimen - and tanned complexion; in contrast to the wan posture and thinning locks he held just years ago.
With a glamorous fiancée under his arm, it's perhaps no wonder the business mogul has had a 'glow up' ahead of his lavish nuptials - thought to include a myriad of A-listers - this week.
The couple, who have been together for over six years now, have been engaged since May 2023 and plan to finally wed.
While the pair have been pretty public about much of their relationship, many details about their upcoming celebrations seem to be the opposite. Wedding planners have booked several different locations and plan to make a decision based on weather and potential protests that may occur - thus leaving many details a secret.
At 61 years old, most people may look back at their twenty-something-year-old selves with envy - but it couldn't be less true for Amazon billionaire Jeff. Pictured as a high school graduate
While quite what Lauren and Jeff will be doing, eating and wearing on their big day remains under wraps, one thing is clear; the billionaire will be committing to his new image.
In the past years, he has dedicated time to curating a bulked-up frame, sported upgrades to his wardrobe to bring in a more tailored style (as seen on his milestone 60th birthday).
It's a big difference from his younger self as the fresh-faced entrepreneur who started his tech empire from his Seattle garage in 1994.
Jeff's transformation has long been in the works, most noticeably in 2017 when his 'swole' arms at the Allen & Co. conference caused an internet frenzy, spawning headlines such as ' Amazon's Jeff Bezos brought two massive "guns" to the Sun Valley conference ' and 'I Can't Stop Thinking About This Picture Of Amazon's CEO.'
His physique made news again in 2021 when he showed off his beefy body while in St. Barts during the Christmas break, going without a shirt in red and pink Hawaiian-inspired shorts.
In the December issue of Vogue, that same year, Lauren revealed she and Jeff work out together, but couldn't do the same exercises, with his fiancée noting: 'He's on a whole different level than I am. He is a monster in the gym.'
He also appears to be dedicated to getting his beauty sleep, with the couple sharing in the same interview, they go to bed at 9.30pm. after watching some television.
It's a big difference from his younger self as the fresh-faced entrepreneur who started his tech empire from his Seattle garage in 1994. Pictured in 2023
The Amazon founder observes gruelling workouts and strict dieting, but he's not always been such a health nut. In fact, he admitted to never reading a nutrition label until he was approaching middle-age.
His transformation was believed to have been sparked by Amazon's 2017 acquisition of Whole Foods - the health-conscious grocer - for nearly $14 billion, but he had reportedly started hitting the gym as early as 2013.
To help him get into shape, Jeff enlisted the services of A-list personal trainer Wes Okerson, who has worked wit the likes of Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Gerard Butler and Isla Fisher.
He has embraced low-impact weight and resistance training as well as a nutritious diet, complete with protein and healthy fats.
That would explain the motive for one of his preferred breakfasts – Mediterranean octopus that includes potatoes, bacon, and green garlic yogurt – a sharp departure from his purported diet that included a package of Pillsbury biscuits in one sitting.
While it is not clear when Jeff enlisted Wes, they vacationed together in St. Barts in 2021, when Jeff set the internet ablaze with his physique.
Wes had reportedly had been working with the executive for months leading up to the trip.
The personal trainer is an avid believer in low-impact, high-resistance exercises such as rowing that incorporate weight training to build up strength and stamina over time.
Social media commentators closely eyeing Bezos' transformation have posited he is probably between 12 and 14 per cent body fat these days. Pictured in 2000
He also alluded to the fact that as he and his business have become wildly successful, he increasingly understands the importance of good sleep, especially for a high-power executive who regularly makes decisions with millions of dollars at stake. Pictured in the 90s
And while Jeff is now said to maintain an exceedingly healthy and sometimes unusual diet – he once disclosed a favorite breakfast of his is the preparation of Mediterranean octopus that includes potatoes, bacon, and green garlic yogurt – he also indulges in what could be dubbed 'junk food' sometimes
He also encourages his clients to bring their workouts outside. Running up and down hills, kayaking, rowing, and paddleboarding are among his and Jeff's favorites.
A healthy percentage of body fat for men 40 to 59 resides somewhere between 11 and 21 per cent. Social media commentators closely eyeing Jeff's transformation have posited he is probably between 12 and 14 per cent.
As for eating, Jeff is believed to eat a protein-heavy diet combined with foods that contain healthy fats such as avocados.
Wes is a proponent of the keto diet, which consists primarily of fats, moderate protein, and low carbs.
He has also said he likes to 'putter' in the mornings before starting work in earnest at 10. This, he said, includes eating breakfast with his family.
When he reportedly started going to gym in 2013, Brad Stone, who has written about Jeff and Amazon, noted that the CEO was definitely undergoing some sort of physical training.
'He looked a little pasty and rumpled after the '90s, and now he's clearly working out every day,' Brad said at the time.
The journalist predicted that Jeff, who owns space exploration company Blue Origin, was in astronaut training.
But Jeff, much like fellow billionaire Peter Thiel, also seems to be interested in the aging process in general.
Both men have invested in Unity Biotechnology, a company that 'is working at the frontier of biotechnology and medicine'.
The site reads: 'Our mission is to develop therapeutics grounded in cellular senescence science to address the underlying biology of chronic and inflammatory diseases.
'Our initial focus is on delivering localized therapy in ophthalmologic diseases.'
Jeff has come a long way with his diet, he said in 2017 that he was once extremely unhealthy - eating an entire container of Pillsbury biscuits.
'I had never read a nutrition label in my life; I ate what tasted good to me,' he said.
And while Jeff is now said to maintain an exceedingly healthy and sometimes unusual diet – he once disclosed a favorite breakfast of his is the preparation of Mediterranean octopus that includes potatoes, bacon, and green garlic yogurt – he also indulges in what could be dubbed 'junk food' sometimes.
In 2018 he posted a snap of Cheeto dust-laden fingers with the caption: 'I know... but god I love Cheetos.'
And in 2022, he showed himself chowing down on a McDonald's burger, saying: 'My first job. Still the same great burger! Happy Sunday!'
Jeff is also said to prioritise the benefits of getting a good night's shut-eye.
He told a conference at the Economic Club in 2018 that he routinely gets eight hours of quality sleep, with the exception of travel across time zones, as global billionaires are wont to do.
'For me, I need eight hours of sleep,' the pro admitted. 'I think better, I have more energy, my mood is better, all these things.'
He also alluded to the fact that as he and his business have become wildly successful, he increasingly understands the importance of good sleep, especially for a high-power executive who regularly makes decisions with millions of dollars at stake.
'Let's go really crazy and say I slept four hours a day. So now I just got four so-called productive hours back. If I was going to have, say, 12 hours of productive time during any waking day, now all of a sudden I have 12 plus four — I have 16 productive hours,' Bezos said at the time.
This, he said, comes to about 33 per cent more time to make decisions.
'If I was going to make 100 decisions, now I could make 133 decisions… Is that really worth it if the quality of those decisions might be lower because you're tired or grouchy, or any number of things?' Bezos said.
If Amazon were still a start-up with 100 employees, Jeff acknowledged he would be less stringent about his sleep schedule for the sake of growth, but with bigger profits come bigger decisions and higher stakes.
In fact, he had said he falls more in line with a standard held by fellow billionaire Warren Buffett who says he is satisfied if he makes three good decisions a year.
It's not just the noticeably buffer Jeff that has emerged from the early 1990s and 2000s bagginess of blazers, button-ups and khakis.
But with his changing physique, the Amazon billionaire has developed a more tailored style - and went from wearing casual slacks to featuring on a Vogue spread.
In August 2018, The New York Times hailed Jeff a 'full-fledged style icon.'
Joseph Rosenfeld, a personal style adviser who specializes in the tech world in Silicon Valley and New York, told the Times that Jeff was 'doing something with style that differentiates him from anyone else in tech.'
'We have seen him sharpen up, with a wardrobe rooted in tradition but also very modernist and minimal. It creates a focus on him, and has evolved in accordance with his business,' the adviser said.
His more formal or business looks usually involve him wearing fitted suits and if he's feeling in the mood for celebration he elevates his blazers with a flashy print.
The tech mogul has also been known to break out the leather jacket to take a seemingly plain outfit to the next level.
To ground a more chic aesthetic, Jeff has at times been known to team his more corporate looks with jeans at times.
Perhaps one of the most memorable moments of Jeff's 'cool' new era is what many dubbed his 'Terminator' look, with sparked comparisons to action star Arnold Schwarzenegger.
In 2017, Jeff flaunted his toned arms as he donned a short sleeve and matching gilet - accessorised with slick aviators - for the annual Sun Valley conference.
Elsewhere, he has often leaned into Western-inspired vibes. In 2021, as he joined a group that flew to the edge of space on a Blue Origin vessel, he teamed his dark blue space suit with a cowboy hat.
When he first hit the tech scene, Jeff, a Princeton graduate, was still holding onto his receding hairline, but he would eventually embrace baldness by shaving his head completely - and grooming his monobrow.
While some associate the changes with his fiancée, he's been slowly transforming over the years, most notably in the 2010s, when he was still with ex-wife Mackenzie Scott (after 25 years together the pair divorced in 2019 when his romance with Lauren was exposed by the National Enquirer).
In 2012, the former couple walked the Met Gala - considered the fashion event of the year - where inklings of the buff billionaire we see today started to emerge. In 2024, he attended with Lauren - sporting a dapper tux.
Over the years, his casual style also got a makeover with Jeff curating a more trendy athleisure style as well as donning fitted short-sleeve polos and T-shirts.
It's not just about the flashy, pricey items either - in 2023, he donned a fun $15 Hawaiian shirt to attend Coachella with Lauren.
Ahead of the release of Scott's second book, Traps, the tech mogul's ex-wife revealed to Vogue in 2013 that Jeff was the one who would pick out clothes for her because she was more of a jeans-and-T-shirt type.
'I pay attention to what she likes to wear, and you'd be amazed by how often things work,' Jeff said of buying his then-wife clothes.
'Sometimes I call her and say, "What's your such-and-such size?" and she says, "Why?" and I say, "None of your business!" It delights her.'