(Bloomberg) — Jeff Bezos unloaded 12 million shares of Amazon.com Inc. this week, the first time the billionaire has sold the company’s stock since 2021.
Most Read from Bloomberg
-
Biden’s Attempt to Address Memory Issue Backfires With New Gaffe
-
China’s Property Crisis Is Starting to Ripple Across the World
-
Stock Mania Rages On as S&P 500 Closes Above 5,000: Markets Wrap
The sales took place on Wednesday and Thursday and netted just over $2 billion, according to a filing.
Amazon disclosed on Feb. 2 that Bezos plans to sell as many as 50 million shares of Amazon over the next 12 months, potentially cashing in on a stock surge that’s put him within reach of becoming the world’s richest person. His fortune has climbed $22.6 billion this year to $199.5 billion as of Friday, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The Amazon founder has sold over $30 billion in shares since records going back to 2002, including about $20 billion combined in 2020 and 2021. He has primarily been gifting stock, including shares worth roughly $230 million that were given to nonprofit organizations in November.
Amazon, through a spokesperson, declined to comment.
–With assistance from Spencer Soper.
Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek
-
OpenAI’s Secret Weapon Is Sam Altman’s 33-Year-Old Lieutenant
-
How Jack Dorsey’s Plan to Get Elon Musk to Save Twitter Went South
-
A Tiny Fund Takes a Big Short on Corporate Debt Maturity Wall
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
