The Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos now ranks as the richest man in history, CNN reports. His net worth reached $105.1 billion the first week of January, according to Bloomberg’s billionaire tracker. That also overtakes the record previously held by Microsoft founder Bill Gates. Forbes,
the other major tracker of the net worth of the world’s richest, put
Bezos’ net worth at a mere $104.4 billion. Beside the billionaire stands
novelist MacKenzie Bezos, who together with her husband, raises four
children in between writing and managing their fortune. How do the
couple keep their marriage as strong as their bank account? They have a few tricks up their sleeves.
1. They support each other’s work
“Jeff is my best reader,” MacKenzie Bezos told Vogue.
Her husband will totally clear his schedule in order to read her
manuscripts and give her detailed feedback. Bezos attended Princeton
University, where she studied under famed author Toni Morrison. She was
“one of the best students I’ve ever had in my creative-writing classes …
really one of the best,” Morrison said, of her.
Bezos, for her part, quit her job and moved from New York City to Seattle when Bezos wanted to found Amazon. In an interview with CBS,
she described watching her husband build Amazon from the ground up. “To
me watching your spouse, somebody that you love, have an adventure,
what is better than that?” And when Brad Stone’s biography of Jeff Bezos
and his company, The Everything Store, came out in 2013, she
virulently defended him with a one-star review of the book on its Amazon
page. She described it as “a lopsided and misleading portrait of the
people and culture at Amazon,” People reported, and criticized the book for its “inaccuracies.”
2. The Bezos know what they want in love and how to get it
MacKenzie Bezos worked diligently to finish her
books while giving birth to and raising four children. She had to put
one on hold to raise her family, but did finish it through blood, sweat,
and tears. And as for her husband, his legendary doggedness extends to
his business life and love.
According to Wired,
Jeff Bezos once called himself a “professional dater.” He wanted a
resourceful woman. “The number-one criterion was that I wanted a woman
who could get me out of a Third World prison,” he said. “Life’s too
short to hang out with people who aren’t resourceful.” Today, MacKenzie
Bezos rents an apartment nearby to get her writing done without
disturbance. We’d say she fits the bill.
3. Sometimes, love takes a leap of faith
MacKenzie and Jeff first met at investment
management firm D.E. Shaw, where Jeff Bezos interviewed his future wife.
MacKenzie worked as a research associate and Jeff worked as a vice
president, at the time. Bezos even became the first person to interview
MacKenzie — a fellow Princeton grad — at the firm. But it was MacKenzie
who made the first move.
“My office was next door to his, and all day long I listened to that fabulous laugh,” she remembered.
“How could you not fall in love with that laugh?” She began her
campaign to win his hand by suggesting they have lunch. Within three
months of that first meal, they got engaged. Three months after that,
they married. The rest is history.
4. They complement each other
“Jeff is the opposite of me,” Bezos told Vogue.
“He likes to meet people. He’s a very social guy. Cocktail parties for
me can be nerve-racking. The brevity of conversations, the number of
them—it’s not my sweet spot.” On the other hand, Jeff Bezos made a
reputation as an extrovert, one who can make anyone feel at ease. “Jeff
is obviously the extrovert who can make a speech on the spur of the
moment; she is the one who is constantly observing,” said Danny Hillis, a
longtime friend of the couple’s.
5. Each has their own pursuits
While MacKenzie Bezos focuses on her writing, she
also picks her kids up from school every day and focuses heavily on the
family. Bezos keeps himself busy outside of running Amazon with a few
side projects, as well. Entrepreneur reports that in addition to purchasing The Washington Post, he also started a space company
back in 2000 called Blue Origin LLC. He wants to make space travel more
consumer-friendly. The entrepreneur also goes deep sea diving to collect NASA rocket detritus. You know, just your average weekend hobby.
6. The couple spends a lot of time with the kids
Both Bezos’ like to focus on the family, which also keeps their relationship front-and-center. According to Vogue,
the couple even experimented with homeschooling. “We tried all sorts of
things,” MacKenzie said. Those include “off-season travel, kitchen
science experiments, chicken incubation, Mandarin lessons, the Singapore
math program, and lots of clubs and sports with other neighborhood
kids.” Jeff Bezos even avoids morning meetings so he can have breakfast
with his brood and the family takes a lot of vacations together — even
on his deep sea adventures.
7. They give back to the less fortunate
According to People, the Bezos’ have expanded their philanthropy recently. In 2011, they donated $15 million to Princeton University to create the Bezos Center for Neural Circuit Dynamics. A year late,r they gave $2.5 million to Washington United for Marriage to support efforts to legalize LGBT marriage. And in 2014, MacKenzie Bezos founded Bystander Revolution, an organization that combats bullying. Recently, Jeff Bezos put out a call on Twitter
requesting ideas for their next project. “I want much of my
philanthropic activity to be helping people in the here and now — short
term — at the intersection of urgent need and lasting impact.”
8. The couple treats each other with meaningful gifts
With that much disposable income, you would expect
lavish presents. But like in any relationship, the thought really
counts. Bezos said he pays attention to what his wife wears so he can
gift her successfully. “You’d be amazed by how often things work,” he said
about buying clothes for her. “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.” He concluded: “I highly recommend it to any
man.”
9. They make their marriage a partnership
The Amazon CEO said he wraps up each day with one
simple gesture: Washing the dishes. “I’m pretty convinced it’s the
sexiest thing I do,” he told Business Insider.
Even in their high-profile life, it all comes down to the simple
things. Small gifts. Balanced schedules. Trips with the kids. And, of
course, letting the love show every day.
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