MacKenzie Bezos is set to become the third-richest woman in the world after finalising her divoce from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.
The couple released individual statements regarding the terms of their divorce on Twitter, with Ms Bezos announcing in her first-ever tweet that she would be giving her ex-husband 75 per cent of the company’s stock.
Expressing her gratitude for the amicable split and for those who sent well-wishes, Ms Bezos said that she was looking forward to the “next phase as co-parents and friends”.
— MacKenzie Bezos (@mackenziebezos) April 4, 2019
Ms Bezos also announced that she would be giving up all of her interests in the Washington Post and Blue Origin, as well as voting control over her shares of Amazon to the Amazon CEO to “support his continued contributions with the teams of these incredible companies”.
In a filing on Thursday, Amazon said MacKenzie Bezos is expected to hold 4 per cent of the company’s stock, worth roughly $35bn (Shs130trillion), which would make her the third-richest woman in the world, according to Forbes’ list.
The deal dwarfs a previous $3.8bn record set by art dealer Alec Wildenstein and his wife Jocelyn.
The wealthiest woman in the world is Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, the granddaughter of L’Oreal’s founder, who has a net worth of $49.3bn. In second place is Walmart heir Alice Walton, who is worth $44.4bn.
The Queen of England, in comparison, is worth just $500m.
In his own statement, the Amazon CEO reiterated the sentiment of looking forward to the future and praised his former partner.
“In all our work together, MacKenzie’s abilities have been on full display,” he said. “She has been an extraordinary partner, ally, and mother.
“She is resourceful and brilliant and loving, and as our futures unroll, I know I’ll always be learning from her.”
The pair, who have four children, announced they would be separating in January after 25 years of marriage.
Shortly after they revealed their separation, a story in the National Enquirer claimed Mr Bezos, 55, had been involved in an extramarital affair.
The tech entrepreneur responded with a blog post in which he accused the tabloid of attempting to extort him – prompting an investigation by federal prosecutors.
The Amazon CEO’s current net worth is $150bn, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
independent.co.uk
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