Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon and owner of the Washington Post is divorcing his wife, MacKenzie, after 25 years of marriage, leading experts to believe this could be the most expensive divorce in history.
According to Bloomberg, Bezos is the richest man in the world with a net worth of $137 billion. Since he married his wife before he first became a millionaire in 1997 (four years after the couple’s marriage), this breakup could be the costliest in divorce history, even if the couple’s fortune isn’t split 50/50.
The Bezos Divorce Appears Amicable
By all accounts, including Bezos’ Twitter announcement about the divorce, it appears that this is going to be an amicable divorce, which is going to be in Bezos’ favor. Thus far, the couple seems to be on very good terms, which leads divorce experts to believe that whatever agreement the couple reaches, it will be mutually beneficial.
So far, there haven’t been any reports indicating that the couple has a prenuptial agreement; however, it is doubtful that the split is going to focus on Bezos’ wife gaining control over Amazon, but it should definitely affect his personal wealth.
Bezos met his wife in New York after he interviewed her for a research position at a hedge fund, where he was the vice president. After a three-month romance, the couple got married in 1993. Shortly afterward, Bezos left Wall Street and moved to Seattle with his wife, where he founded Amazon, which was an online bookstore initially.
Bezos Speaks Out on Twitter
In the Twitter statement, Bezos said: “We feel incredibly lucky to have found each other and deeply grateful for every one of the years we have been married to each other. If we had known we would separate after 25 years, we would do it all again.”
The couple, who has four children together, can be recognized for doing two positive things in their divorce so far. First, they are remaining on friendly terms and seeking an amicable divorce. Second, they are preserving their public image by saying positive things about each other, which is important for minimizing negative press. Hopefully, it will stay collaborative and won’t lead to litigation.
Related: Divorce for Public Figures in New York
Are you dealing with a CEO divorce? For professional legal representation, contact our Putnam County divorce firm.