TMZ reported that the Bezoses did not have a prenuptial agreement
The news of world's richest cople getting a divorce broke the internet on Wednesday. Amazon's Jeff Bezos on Twitter announced that he and his wife of 25 years, Mackenzie Bezos are separting their ways.
"We want to make people aware of a development in our lives," Jeff Bezos, 54, and MacKenzie Bezos, 48, said in joint statement posted to Bezos' Twitter feed.
"As our family and close friends know, after a long period of loving exploration and trial separation, we have decided to divorce and continue our shared lives as friends."
The couple said they felt "incredibly lucky" for their 25 years together and would remain involved with each other as close friends and parents.
"Though the labels might be different, we remain a family and we remain cherished friends," the statement continued.
MacKenzie Bezos is the author of two books, including "The Testing of Luther Albright," a psychological novel about the challenges facing a Sacramento, California father and his family after an earthquake.
She was one of the first employees of Amazon at its founding and in 2014 launched Bystander Revolution, an anti-bullying organisation.
If you want to know about their love story, click here.
Jeff Bezos is rated the world's wealthiest man by Forbes and Bloomberg, with a fortune estimated at around USD 137 billion. Amazon this week passed Microsoft to become the world's biggest publicly traded company by market capitalisation.
But now the couple has decided to part their ways, the question remains what will happen to Amazon? Below we have tried to find out what options does Amazon has, also what all is at stake in world's richest couple's divorce. (Images: Reuters)
1. First home in Beverly hills, California
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The couple bought their first home ever in Beverly Hills, California for $24.45 million in 2007. The couple eventually ended up buying neighboring property in 2017 for $12.9 million under their ambit.
2. Amazon
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What will happen to Amazon? "If Mackenzie Bezos trusts that Jeff Bezos would manage Amazon well, either he should pay her for her share of the stock, or they could enter a more complicated agreement where she keeps stock and he keeps voting rights,” said Liat Sadler, a San Francisco matrimonial lawyer told Reuters.
3. Medina Washington
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The Bezos couple owns two homes on a large property in Medina Washington. In 1998, the couple paid about $10 million for a 5.3 acre property.
4. Washington DC
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The couple also spent about about $23 million on a textile museum in the Kalorama neighbourhood of Washington, DC.
5. The Washington Post
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Jeff Bezos also owns the Washington Post which he bought for $250 million in August 2013.
6. West Texas
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Over here, the couple owns an estimated 400,000 acres in Culberson and Hudspeth counties east of El Paso
7. New York
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The couple bought a pad in Manhattan’s Central Park West for a whopping $7.7 million.
8. Is there a prenup?
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TMZ reported that the Bezoses did not have a prenuptial agreement and plan to file for divorce in Washington. While Washington state divorce law considers all that the couple builds and accrues during their marriage as community property, that doesn't necessarily mean a 50-50 split of assets - including six homes, according to Business Insider.
