How much Amazon stock does Jeff Bezos own?

How much Amazon stock does Jeff Bezos own?

how much amazon stock does bezos own is a frequently asked question with no single fixed answer: reported share counts, percentage ownership and dollar values change over time depending on public filings, share sales, donations and the definition used (beneficial ownership vs. voting or disposal power). This article explains the terms, provides dated snapshots from reliable sources, outlines recent transactions and 10b5‑1 plans, and points you to the SEC filings and data providers where you can verify current figures.

Overview

For a public‑company founder like Jeff Bezos, “ownership” can mean several related things: the raw number of shares owned, the percentage of total shares outstanding those shares represent, and the approximate market value of those shares at a given stock price. All three measures are date‑specific and usually come from SEC filings (Form 4, proxy statements) or company disclosures. Because Bezos has sold, gifted and transferred shares over time and because Amazon’s share count has diluted and changed, any numerical answer must be time‑stamped.

Current holdings (date‑specific snapshots)

Multiple public sources report different snapshots of Bezos’s Amazon stake. Differences arise from reporting date, which share classes are included, and whether reported figures show beneficial ownership or voting/disposal power. Below are representative, dated figures drawn from media and financial data providers. Each is labeled with the reporting date and source to show context.

• As of May 2, 2025, according to Variety: filings reported that Bezos filed plans to sell additional Amazon shares — media summaries and associated Form 4s around that date placed his holdings in a range consistent with several hundred million to just over 800 million shares, depending on classification. (As of that report, market values depended on AMZN price.)

• As of July 23, 2025, TIKR published a snapshot titled “Who Owns Amazon? 12 Major AMZN Shareholders in 2025,” listing Bezos among holders and reporting share counts in the upper hundreds of millions based on recent filings and proxy data.

• WallStreetZen (2025) and similar aggregators listed Bezos’s holdings in 2025 using consolidated public filings and proxy statement disclosures; these services display slightly different totals depending on whether restricted shares and shares “as to which” voting or disposal power exists are included.

• As of July 7, 2025, Investors.com (Investor’s Business Daily summary) reported that after recent disposals, a small group of institutional investors collectively held a larger share of Amazon than any individual founder, and cited headline figures indicating Bezos’s stake had been reduced materially due to sales.

• As of October 14, 2025, TheWrap reported continued sell‑offs and summarized media coverage noting that reported share ranges for Bezos during 2025 spanned roughly 885 million to 1,023 million shares in various reports — values and percent ownership differed by source and by whether nonvoting or restricted shares were included.

• As of December 16, 2025, Motley Fool’s owner‑and‑holders list included Bezos with a holdings figure consistent with other year‑end aggregators, and their commentary reiterated that precise percentages depend on the denominator (total outstanding shares at the snapshot date).

Put together, these public snapshots indicate overlapping but not identical figures. For example, some sources during 2025 reported Bezos’s holdings in the range of about 885–1,023 million shares; depending on the total outstanding share count and AMZN price at the time, that could represent a low‑teens percentage down to below 10% in some reports. Always check the date and the filing type (proxy vs. Form 4) behind any headline number.

How ownership is reported and measured

Beneficial ownership vs voting/disposal power

Public filings distinguish several concepts that affect reported totals:

• Beneficial ownership — the person who has an economic interest in shares, regardless of legal title.
• Voting power — the right to vote the shares at shareholder meetings. Some filings list shares “as to which” a person has sole voting power, shared voting power, or no voting power.
• Disposition (authority to dispose) — the right to sell or otherwise transfer the shares. Filings can separate shares held “as to which the person has sole power to dispose” from shares where disposal power is shared or limited.

SEC forms (e.g., proxy statements and Form 4) often break out these distinctions. A founder can be listed as the beneficial owner of a share while lacking sole voting or disposal power over it — for example, if shares are held in trusts or subject to agreements. When reading reported totals, note which definition the source uses.

Percent of outstanding shares and market value

Percent ownership = (shares held) ÷ (total shares outstanding at that time). Market value = (shares held) × (AMZN share price at that time). Both figures change with time: share counts can fall with sales or transfers, total outstanding shares can change with dilution or buybacks, and market value moves every trading day with AMZN price action.

Because of these dynamics, published percent and dollar‑value snapshots always include the snapshot date. For example, a report that Bezos holds 900 million shares on July 23, 2025, is only accurate for that date; the dollar value depends on the AMZN closing price that day.

Historical trend of Bezos’s Amazon stake

Jeff Bezos’s ownership concentration has declined steadily since Amazon’s early days. Key drivers include stock sales, option exercises, dilution from equity grants to employees, and transfers or donations.

• Late 1990s / IPO (1997) — Bezos held a very large founder stake following the IPO; founder concentration was far higher than today (often cited as >40% in the earliest years when measured by certain definitions and pre‑dilution figures).
• 2000s–2010s — the stake was diluted over time as Amazon granted stock to employees and raised capital; ownership percentages fell gradually though Bezos remained the largest individual shareholder.
• 2021 — Bezos stepped down as CEO. Subsequent sales and planned trading programs accelerated reductions in his outstanding share count.
• 2024–2026 — public filings and media reports document large sales, 10b5‑1 trading plans, and charitable donations/ transfers that further lowered his reported percentage. By mid‑to‑late 2025, some reports indicated single‑digit or low‑teens percentage figures, depending on the method of calculation.

Overall, founder concentration shifted from the IPO era’s high percentages to a much smaller individual stake by the mid‑2020s. The long‑term direction has been downward, though exact timing and magnitude of declines depend on specific transactions and reporting conventions.

Major recent transactions and selling plans

Recent activity that materially affected reported holdings includes negotiated large block sales, open market sales under trading plans, and public 10b5‑1 plans. These events are documented in SEC filings (Form 4s and related filings) and summarized by major media outlets.

• 10b5‑1 trading plans: As of March 2025, filings showed that Bezos established a Rule 10b5‑1 plan permitting sales up to specified amounts through a set end date. As of that filing, reports noted a plan allowing sale of up to 25 million shares through May 2026 (reported by multiple outlets in May 2025). These plans allow pre‑arranged sales at predetermined criteria and are commonly used by executives to avoid accusations of insider trading when sales occur while in possession of material nonpublic information.

• High‑value sales in 2024–2025: Several reports in 2024 and 2025 documented large open‑market sales and block trades by Bezos that together totaled multiple billions of dollars. Media outlets summarized aggregate sales by year—these totals can be verified in Form 4 filings for the corresponding dates.

• Donations and transfers: Bezos has made charitable gifts and transfers (including to personal foundations or trusts) that reduced his direct holdings. Some transfers are structured in ways that change the reporting classification (e.g., shares moved to an entity where voting/disposal power is shared), which affects how ownership appears in public filings.

As of May 2, 2025, according to Variety, filings showed Bezos preparing to sell more shares under a 10b5‑1 plan; as of July 2025, several media summaries and SEC filings indicated cumulative sales in 2024–2025 totaling billions. Always consult the SEC Form 4s for the exact dates and volumes of each transaction.

Institutional ownership and comparative context

Institutional investors collectively own a large portion of Amazon stock. Large asset managers and index funds appear among the top holders in most snapshots, and their combined stake often exceeds any single individual founder’s holdings.

• TIKR’s July 23, 2025 piece “Who Owns Amazon? 12 Major AMZN Shareholders in 2025” listed major institutional shareholders (for example large index fund managers and investment firms) and summarized their combined percentage.
• WallStreetZen and Investors.com snapshot reports in 2025 highlighted that several institutional holders collectively own a significantly larger share of outstanding Amazon shares than Jeff Bezos individually.

In practical terms, this means that corporate governance outcomes are influenced heavily by institutional voting blocs as well as any founder voting shares. Comparing Bezos’s stake with top institutional holders helps illustrate his relative influence as an individual investor versus the power of aggregated institutions.

Implications of Bezos’s stake size

Bezos’s level of ownership has several implications:

• Governance and voting influence — the share of votes controlled by a founder affects ability to influence strategy, board composition and major corporate actions. When a founder’s stake falls, their unilateral ability to direct outcomes is reduced unless special voting arrangements exist.
• Market perception — significant sales by a founder attract media attention and can influence investor sentiment, though sales for diversification, taxes or philanthropy are common and not inherently negative.
• Practical influence despite smaller percentage — even a single‑digit percentage stake can carry outsized informal influence if the founder retains reputational capital, board ties, or special voting shares. That said, institutional owners increasingly shape major votes.

Any assessment of influence must consider voting structures disclosed in proxy statements as well as the concentration of institutional holdings.

Sources of discrepancies and caveats

Reported numbers can differ for several reasons:

• Different snapshot dates — filings and media reports cite different dates; shares sold or transferred between snapshots change totals.
• Inclusion/exclusion of share classes — some reports include restricted shares, shares owned by trusts, or shares subject to special voting; others report only shares over which an individual has sole voting/disposal power.
• Delayed disclosures — SEC filing windows, administrative delays and reporting conventions mean the public record can lag actual transactions.
• Market price fluctuations — dollar values change daily with AMZN’s market price; percent ownership shifts with dilution or share buybacks.
• Transfers and gifts — donations or transfers (e.g., to foundations or family trusts) may change beneficial ownership while leaving some voting or disposal attributes unchanged.

Given these factors, any time you see a headline figure, verify the underlying filing and snapshot date before treating it as current.

Regulatory filings and where to verify

To verify Bezos’s current reported holdings, consult the primary authoritative records:

• SEC EDGAR database — search Amazon’s proxy statements (DEF 14A), Form 4 filings (insider transactions) and Schedule 13D/G filings for ownership disclosures.
• Company proxy statements — the annual proxy often lists beneficial ownership tables for executives and directors and is the standard reference for percent ownership at a snapshot date.
• Form 4 filings — filed by insiders to report purchases, sales and other changes in ownership on a near‑real‑time basis.
• Financial data providers and major financial media — services like TIKR, WallStreetZen, Investors.com and Motley Fool aggregate filings and present user‑friendly snapshots (check their stated snapshot dates and methodology).

As of the latest media summaries in 2025, consolidated reporting from these sources produced overlapping yet non‑identical totals — always cross‑check the original SEC document for authoritative verification.

Timeline (select notable dates)

• 1997 — Amazon IPO; founder concentration was substantially higher than today.
• 2021 — Jeff Bezos stepped down as CEO; subsequent years saw increased public sales and changes in disclosed holdings.
• 2024 — Large sales reported through Form 4 filings and widely summarized by media; cumulative 2024 sales totaled multiple billions (see filings).
• March 2025 — 10b5‑1 trading plan filings reported; sales plan allowed up to specified millions of shares through May 2026.
• May–July 2025 — Media coverage (e.g., Variety, TIKR, Investors.com) summarized continuing sales and reported updated holdings figures for Bezos.
• October 14, 2025 — TheWrap reported ongoing sell‑offs and summarized year‑to‑date activity.
• December 16, 2025 — Motley Fool updated owner lists and reiterated the need to use snapshot dates when citing holdings.

Further reading / See also

• Amazon (AMZN) — company and stock overview
• SEC filings — Form 4, proxy statements (DEF 14A), Schedule 13D/13G
• 10b5‑1 trading plans — what they are and why insiders use them
• Founder stock sales and dilution — effects on ownership percentage
• Major institutional investors — how aggregated institutional ownership affects corporate governance

References

• TIKR — “Who Owns Amazon? 12 Major AMZN Shareholders in 2025” (Jul 23, 2025)
• Variety — “Jeff Bezos Files to Sell $4.8 Billion Worth of Amazon Stock” (May 2, 2025)
• WallStreetZen — “Amazon Stock Ownership — Who Owns Amazon?” (2025)
• Investors.com — “5 Investors Own 29% Of Amazon Stock Now That Bezos Sold” (Jul 7, 2025)
• TheWrap — “Jeff Bezos Continues Amazon Stock Sell‑Off…” (Oct 14, 2025)
• Hollywood Reporter / New York Post / Times of India — assorted 2025 coverage reporting stake declines (various dates in 2025)
• Motley Fool — “Who Owns Amazon? List of Major Shareholders” (Dec 16, 2025)
• SEC EDGAR — proxy statements (DEF 14A), Form 4 filings, Schedule 13D/G (primary authoritative filings; check filing dates for snapshots)

As of May 2, 2025, according to Variety, filings indicated Bezos had established or updated a sales plan and media summaries reported planned disposals; as of July 23, 2025, TIKR’s aggregation reflected updated holder lists; as of July 7, 2025, Investors.com summarized institutional concentration; and as of December 16, 2025, Motley Fool provided an updated owners list. These dated references illustrate why any reported number must be time‑stamped.

Practical next steps and verification checklist

• To answer “how much amazon stock does bezos own” for today, first find the most recent Form 4 and the latest proxy (DEF 14A) on SEC EDGAR.
• Note whether the filing lists shares as beneficial ownership, sole voting power, or sole disposal power.
• Check the total outstanding shares on the company’s latest 10‑Q or 10‑K to compute percent ownership.
• Multiply the share count by the current AMZN price to estimate market value (price fluctuates intraday).

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Final notes and reader guidance

If you searched “how much amazon stock does bezos own,” this article should have clarified why a single definitive answer is rare: reported figures change with time, definitions and filings. When citing a number, always attach the snapshot date and the source filing. For authoritative verification, use the SEC EDGAR filings (Form 4 and proxy statements) and reputable data aggregators that cite those filings.

To keep exploring related topics — such as how 10b5‑1 plans work or how institutional ownership is reported — consult the Further Reading items above and refer directly to SEC documents for the most reliable records. For trading, custody and wallet needs, consider Bitget’s services to manage positions securely and efficiently.

How much Amazon stock does Bezos own today? Check the latest Form 4 and proxy statement on EDGAR and compare the snapshot date to the AMZN price of that day to compute the current dollar value and percent ownership.