Founder and CEO of Amazon, the American e-commerce giant, Jeff Bezos is considered one of the founding fathers of e-commerce. From the company founded in 1995 with $300,000 borrowed from his parents, Jeff Bezos created the world’s number one online retailer. To achieve this, this genius entrepreneur was able to skillfully exploit two talents that he possesses: that of an outstanding computer scientist and that of a seasoned financier.
The young Jeff Bezos studied at Palmetto High School in Miami. At the same time, he took science courses at the University of Florida, which allowed him to win the prestigious Silver Knight Award in 1982. His talent opened the doors to Princeton University where he initially studied physics before turning to computer science, his true passion.
With his computer science diploma in hand, Jeff Bezos joined the company Fitel, a start-up specializing in finance and telecommunications. Two years later, he was recruited by Bankers Trust Company in New York and in 1990 he was named vice president.
In 1990, Jeff Bezos landed a position as a financial analyst at DE Shaw & Co., a hedge fund specializing in technology, where he stayed for four years.
In 1995, Jeff Bezos wanted to create the largest online bookstore in the world. The project is ambitious, but the entrepreneur believes in it wholeheartedly. At that time, the internet was one of the rare areas to show 4-digit growth (2300% in 1994). He then moved to Seattle and created, thanks to his talent as a computer scientist, the online bookstore Amazon which he opened to the public in 1996. Bezos quickly diversified his products by expanding his offering to music and cinema.
-In 1997, Amazon went public. The roller coaster share price is dizzying for investors who prefer to observe the strategy of this atypical entrepreneur from afar. The economic model designed by Jeff Bezos is based on investment rather than profit margin.
It would be necessary to wait until 2004 to finally see Amazon make its first profits. In the meantime, the Seattle firm has become the largest online supermarket in the world.
Jeff Bezos became the richest man in the world thanks to Amazon. At the start of 2019, he surpassed Bill Gates and Bernard Arnault in the ranking of billionaires.
View full profile
