Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos studied electrical engineering and computer science at Princeton University and worked at quantitative hedge fund D.E. Shaw before leaving in 1994 to found Amazon.com in his Seattle garage. Starting as an online bookstore, Amazon grew into the world's largest e-commerce retailer and then into one of the world's most valuable technology companies through Amazon Web Services (AWS) — the cloud computing platform that now powers a substantial fraction of global internet infrastructure. From Amazon's 1997 IPO at $18 per share to its peak, the stock delivered returns of over 100,000% for early investors. What distinguishes Bezos as a capital allocator is his long-term orientation: Amazon famously reinvested nearly all of its cash flows for two decades before generating large profits — a strategy that sacrificed near-term earnings to build infrastructure and customer relationships. His annual shareholder letters, written from 1997 through 2020, are widely read as masterclasses in long-term business thinking and capital allocation philosophy. Bezos stepped down as CEO in 2021, succeeded by Andy Jassy, and became Executive Chairman. He also founded Blue Origin, a private space venture, and purchased The Washington Post in 2013.