Jeffrey Bezos, CEO and founder of Amazon, is set to divorce Mackenzie Bezos following the discovery of his affair with a former TV anchor, as reported by Business Insider. The two have been together for 25 years up until the news of divorce came out.
How it Affects the Company
Jeff Bezos owns the majority of Amazon stocks with 16.3% shares. However, if the soon-to-be-divorced couple files their papers in Washington where the Amazon headquarters are, the two will have to divide their assets equitably unless they have a prenuptial agreement, according to CNBC. Nevertheless, attorney David Sparks that an equitable split does not necessarily mean an even half-and-half share. Whilst this is true, this still poses the possibility of Mackenzie getting half of her husband’s assets.
Brittain Ladd from Forbes states that Jeff Bezos’s net worth is around $137 million, including his Amazon shares and other assets. This means that a clean split of his asset can leave Mackenzie Bezos with 8% of Amazon’s stocks, giving her the second largest share of the company.
Aside from the possibility of getting 8% of the shares, Ladd gathered the opinions of various Wall Street and financial experts and found several feasible scenarios. This includes Mackenzie possible conspiring with competitors, selling her shares and making significant financial changes in the company. Another possible scenario is that Jeff Bezos could resign from his position due to ‘negative publicity.’
On the other hand, Business Insider spoke with legal experts who theorised that the couple is likely to settle their affairs out of court. Experts say that Mackenzie Bezos could get a smaller share, yet an out-of-court settlement still leaves the possibility of her getting half of her husband’s assets.
As of January 14, Amazon’s price per stock is down to $1,640.56, a -0.95% ($-15.66) decrease from its previous market performance. Despite this, Amazon continues to be the richest company in the world with a market value of 4797 billion, bumping Microsoft to the second spot with $789 billion market value.
