MacKenzie Bezos will get 25% of couple's Amazon shares after divorce from Jeff Bezos
- MacKenzie Bezos will grant Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos three-quarters of the couple's shared stock in the ecommerce giant as part of their divorce.
- Mrs. Bezos will also relinquish her financial interests in the Washington Post and rocket developer Blue Origin.
- Her 4 percent stake in Amazon alone is worth an estimated $36 billion, making her the fourth-richest woman in the world
Jeff Bezos and soon-to-be ex-wife MacKenzie took to social media on Thursday to announce the terms of their high-profile divorce. Said the Amazon founder and CEO over Twitter:
"I'm so grateful to all my friends and family for reaching out with encouragement and love. It means more than you know. MacKenzie most of all. I'm grateful for her support and for her kindness in this process and am very much looking forward to our new relationship as friends and co-parents."
In what appears to be her first tweet, MacKenzie said she is "happy" to be giving her future ex-husband — the richest man in the world — all of her interests in the Washington Post and rocket developer Blue Origin. She is also granting him 75 percent of their shared Amazon stock, including voting control.
"Excited about my own plans," she added.
Mrs. Bezos's exact net worth is hard to estimate, but her four percent stake in Amazon alone is valued at roughly $36 billion based on Amazon's current share price, making her the fourth richest woman in the world. L'Oreal heiress Francoise Bettencourt Meyers is the richest woman in the world, with a net worth of $49 billion, followed by Alice Walton, daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, and Jacqueline Badger Mars of the Mars candy company.
"It's impossible to put a value on the rest of it," said New York matrimonial lawyer Michael Calogero of MacKenzie Bezos's wealth.
Jeff Bezos will have a 12 percent stake in Amazon that, as of Thursday, was valued at more than $108 billion.
Because he retained three-quarters of the couple's Amazon stock, in addition to all of their financial interests in the Washington Post and Blue Origin, she likely retained 100 percent of other assets, including real estate.
"It's not uncommon, when one spouse retains all of a business interest, for the other spouse to be bought out of that in cash or a cash equivalent," Calogero said.
Divorce attorneys aren't surprised the couple appears to have amicably reached an agreement.
"There is more than enough money to go around and it doesn't make sense to fight especially if there are children and everyone walks away with billions of dollars," said New York-based divorce attorney Stuart Slotnick.
The fact that Mr. Bezos is keeping 75 percent of the stock is also significant, Slotnick said. "It is really important, because he keeps controlling interest and no one needs to get nervous about corporate takeovers or board actions."
The couple in January announced their split after 25 years of marriage. Hours later, the National Enquirer published a story detailing Mr. Bezos' alleged affair with entertainment personality Lauren Sanchez, including the pair's racy photos and text messages.
The Bezoses met in New York in the early 1990s while working at a hedge fund. Their divorce will be final in roughly 90 days.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
