Amazon is one of the world's largest e-commerce companies, but who owns it? The company was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, who served as the CEO until 2021.
- Jeff Bezos: Bezos was the founder and first CEO of Amazon, and he played a crucial role in shaping the company into what it is today.
- MacKenzie Bezos: MacKenzie Bezos, Jeff's ex-wife, was a significant shareholder in Amazon and owned approximately 4% of the company.
- John W. Thompson Jr.: Thompson is a former CEO of Symantec and a member of Amazon's board of directors.
Amazon is now owned by its employees through the Amazon Stock Ownership Plan, which was established in 1997. The plan allows employees to purchase Amazon stock at a discounted price and hold it in their employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) accounts.
As of 2022, the largest shareholders of Amazon include:
- Jeff Bezos: 12% ownership stake
- The Vanguard Group, Inc.: 7.3% ownership stake
- BlackRock, Inc.: 6.6% ownership stake
It's worth noting that Amazon's ownership structure is complex and includes various institutional investors and individual shareholders.