In the record breaking divorce settlement ever, Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, will award his ex-wife MacKenzie Bezos about 4 percent of the company, a stake worth roughly $35 billion (Ksh 3.5 trillion), based on Amazon’s market value.
Prior to the settlement, Mr Bezos held a 16.3% stake in Amazon. He will retain 75% of that holding but Ms Bezos has transferred all of her voting rights to her former husband.
The couple, who have four children, had been together since before Mr Bezos set up Amazon in 1994, with Ms Bezos employed as one of the firm’s first members of staff.
Amazon is now vast online retail business which last year generated sales of $232.8bn and has helped Mr Bezos and his family amass a $131bn fortune, according to Forbes magazine.
The settlement would make her the fourth-richest woman in the world. She ranks behind Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, Alice Walton and Jacqueline Mars, according to Bloomberg.
The divorce should be settled in roughly 90 days, according to an Amazon regulatory filing Thursday.
On the other hand, MacKenzie Bezos said she was “happy” to be giving her ex-husband 75 percent of their stock in Amazon along with voting control of her shares.
She also relinquished to him all of her interests in The Washington Post and the Blue Origin aerospace company.
While other founders and CEOs have gotten divorces, most had met their spouses after acquiring their wealth. MacKenzie Bezos, on the other hand, reportedly played a significant role laying Amazon’s roots.