The future of Amazon at stake: Jeff Bezos could be forced to split his $137BILLION fortune in his divorce - with the bulk of his net worth being 78 MILLION shares in the company he founded
- Jeff Bezos, 54, and wife MacKenzie, 48, announced Wednesday they were divorcing after 25-years of marriage
- Their divorce could become the most expensive in history given his $137 billion net worth
- How much MacKenzie is entitled to could depend on Amazon's value and marital laws in Washington state where they live
- State has communal property laws, which requires assets and debts obtained during the marriage to be split equally if they can't reach an agreement
- Bezos founded Amazon one year after they married in 1993, which means MacKenzie could end up with roughly $69 million
- He would probably need to sell some of his 78.88 million Amazon shares to pay for that kind of settlement, but it would impact his control over the company
- If his $137 billion fortune is split equally with MacKenzie, it would mean Bezos would lose his title as world's richest man
- The most expensive divorce on record in the U.S. involves embattled casino mogul Steve Wynn and his ex-wife Elaine
Billionaire Jeff Bezos' divorce from his wife MacKenzie Bezos could become the most expensive in history and has the potential to impact his ownership and control of Amazon if he is forced to sell off shares to fund a settlement.
Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon.com Inc., announced on Wednesday that he and his novelist wife MacKenzie were ending their 25-year marriage.
The joint statement the pair put out on Twitter appeared to be amicable with Jeff, 54, and MacKenzie, 48, who share four children, vowing to remain a family and 'cherished friends'.
While the details of their divorce settlement have not been made public, exactly how much MacKenzie is entitled to of Bezos' $137 billion fortune could depend on Amazon's value and marital laws in Washington state where they live.
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Billionaire Jeff Bezos' divorce from his wife MacKenzie Bezos could affect his title as world's richest man and has the potential to impact his ownership and control of Amazon
The state has communal property laws, which requires assets and debts obtained during the marriage to be split equally if they can't reach an agreement.
Bezos founded Amazon one year after they married in 1993, which means MacKenzie could end up with roughly $69 million from her now-estranged husband's fortune.
Much of his fortune comes from his 16 percent ownership stake - or 78.88 million shares - in Amazon, which just this week became Wall Street's most valuable company again.
The billionaire would most likely need to sell some of those shares in Amazon to pay for the settlement, which would see his control of the company reduced.
Divorce attorney experts told CNBC that MacKenzie would most likely not want to impact her ex's ownership stake because it would ultimately affect the growth of the Bezos family fortune.
The attorneys said it's likely she would not push him to sell any shares that could impact his control.
Amazon shares were down 0.2 percent in midday trading on Wednesday following the announcement of their divorce.
If his $137 billion fortune is split equally with MacKenzie, it would mean Bezos would lose his title as world's richest man.
Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon.com Inc., announced on Wednesday that he and his novelist wife MacKenzie (above January 2018) were ending their 25-year marriage
The couple have also acquired at least five homes in California, Washington state, Texas, Washington D.C. and New York throughout their 25-year marriage. Pictured above is an aerial shot of their Washington neighborhood where they live next door to Bill Gates
Even with a $69 billion fortune, the Amazon founder would still be ranked fifth, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index.
With that kind of settlement, MacKenzie would be the world's richest woman.
In addition to Bezos' stake in Amazon, the couple have also acquired at least five homes in California, Washington state, Texas, Washington D.C. and New York throughout their 25-year marriage.
It is not clear if Jeff and MacKenzie have a prenuptial agreement, which could also affect how their assets are divided.
In the joint statement announcing their split, Jeff and MacKenzie said they expect to continue on as partners in joint ventures and projects.
Jeff has previously said that MacKenzie's support was instrumental when he founded Amazon as an online bookseller in 1994, and that she actually did the accounting for the company in its first year.
The joint statement the pair put out on Twitter appeared to be amicable with Jeff, 54, and MacKenzie, 48, who share four children, vowing to remain a family and 'cherished friends'
The most expensive divorce on record in the U.S. involved embattled casino mogul Steve Wynn and his ex-wife Elaine (above in 2008). It turned ugly and stretched on for years after Elaine was granted almost half of Steve's ownership in Wynn Resorts when they divorced in 2010
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The most expensive divorce on record in the U.S. involved embattled casino mogul Steve Wynn and his ex-wife Elaine.
It turned ugly and stretched on for years after Elaine was granted almost half of Steve's ownership in the company back when they divorced in 2010.
A stockholders agreement stipulated they would vote jointly on company matters, including stock sale, but Elaine filed court documents in 2016 to get control of her shares after she was voted off the Wynn Resorts' board of directors.
Steve Wynn's shareholdings are about 12 percent, while Elaine Wynn's are about 9 percent.
He resigned as chairman and CEO of Wynn Resorts in February last year amid sexual misconduct allegations from female employees.
Steve has vehemently denied the accusations and blamed his ex-wife for stirring them up. Elaine denied any involvement.
