The richest couple — Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos — is in the midst of finalizing their divorce. But when the dust settles, the Amazon CEO's reign as the richest person is unlikely to end.
The couple released separate statements on Thursday announcing they had "finished the process of dissolving" their marriage of 25 years. As part of the divorce agreement, MacKenzie Bezos said she would give Jeff Bezos 75% of the Amazon stock they co-owned, as well as all of her interests in the Washington Post and Blue Origin.
MacKenzie Bezos' 25% stake in Amazon positions the novelist to become one of the richest women, with a net worth of about $35.7 billion at Amazon's current stock price.
Read more: Jeff Bezos' divorce won't affect his voting power at Amazon, because MacKenzie is giving him control
However, the billionaires' list isn't a new place for her soon-to-be ex-husband, Jeff Bezos. The Amazon founder and CEO has held the title of the richest person since surpassing Bill Gates back in October 2017. Bezos has been steadily building his fortune since then, and the latest Forbes' billionaires ranking had his net worth at $131 billion.
But with the divorce agreement, Bezos' net worth is set to decrease. His 75% stake will give him 59.1 million shares in Amazon. Based on current market prices, Bezos' post-divorce revised stake in Amazon is worth an estimated $107.4 billion.
That Amazon stake alone stands to put Bezos' net worth above that of Bill Gates, whose net worth is an estimated $96.5 billion, according to Forbes.
It's unclear how the couple will be splitting up their massive stockpile of real-estate holdings. A 2017 report listed the Bezoses as the country's 28th largest landowner, with properties in Medina, Washington; Van Horn, Texas; Washington, DC; Manhattan, New York; and two mansions in Beverly Hills, California.
- Read more about the Bezoses' divorce:
- Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Bezos have finalized their divorce agreement, and he's getting 75% of the Amazon shares and voting control of the rest
- A look inside the marriage of the richest couple in history, Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos — who met at work, were engaged in 3 months, and got divorced after 25 years together
- Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos have finalized the terms of their divorce — and she's set to come out of it as one of the richest women in the world
- Jeff Bezos' divorce won't affect his voting power at Amazon, because Mackenzie is giving him control
- Wannabe suitors are flooding MacKenzie Bezos with creepy messages now that she's poised to become one of the world's richest women after her divorce
