Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos have finalized their divorce — and she’s walking away with a stake in Amazon worth more than $35 billion, the former couple announced in a statement Thursday.
MacKenzie divulged the terms of their split on Twitter, saying she’s giving Jeff 75 percent of their shared stock in the e-tail giant, as well as voting control over the nearly 20 million shares she’s keeping.
“Grateful to have finished the process of dissolving my marriage with Jeff with support from each other and everyone who reached out to us in kindness, and looking forward to the next phase as co-parents and friends,” MacKenzie tweeted.
The two shared a 16 percent stake — or about 78.8 million shares. MacKenzie’s remaining 4 percent was worth about $35 billion as of Thursday afternoon.
That means she’s poised to become the third richest woman in the world behind L’Oreal heiress Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, who is worth $49.3 billion, and Alice Walton, the daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton whose net worth is $45 billion.
Jeff will also retain all interest in the Washington Post and space company Blue Origin, MacKenzie’s tweet said.
Amazon stock was down .4 percent at $1,812 as news about the divorce terms broke.
Their divorce petition was filed Thursday with the Securities Exchange Commission, according to online records. A final divorce decree will be issued within 90 days.
The world’s richest man issued a similar statement saying he was “grateful” to his supportive friends and family — but “MacKenzie most of all.”
“I’m grateful for her support and for her kindness in this process and am very much looking forward to our new relationship as friends and co-parents,” he tweeted.
Jeff continued to gush over his soon-to-be ex-wife.
“In all our work together, MacKenzie’s abilities have been on full display. 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,” he wrote.
The longtime couple, who have four children together, announced they were divorcing in January after 25 years of marriage — though they made clear their separation was amicable, vowing to “continue our shared lives as friends.”
News of their split came just before Page Six revealed Jeff was dating TV anchor Lauren Sanchez. The self-made billionaire subsequently became ensnared in a series of scandals related to steamy texts with his new love, as well as Amazon’s surprise decision to pull its planned HQ2 out of Queens.
The Bezos divorce left Amazon stakeholders quaking with uncertainty of how it would affect the company’s stock price.
Washington state, where the couple resided, practices “community property” law — meaning couples without a prenup are entitled to splitting assets 50-50.
https://pagesix.com/2019/04/04/jeff-bezos-and-his-wife-mackenzie-finalize-their-divorce/