Ok, after Donald Trump felt the need to weigh in on the largest divorce in history, I couldn’t resist but write a post.
Not only was Trump’s comment entirely inappropriate for his position (shocker), he underscored the assumption that so many people seem to be making.
That Jeff’s billions of dollars are Jeff’s billions of dollars.
Sorry – let me just go back and check the numbers………oh yes, Jeff and Mack got married in 1993.
So they’ve been married for over 25 years.
That would mean that they got married about a year before Jeff started up the beginnings of Amazon in his garage. And I’m guessing this wasn’t an arranged marriage, and that there was a period of time prior to their marriage where they had an ongoing relationship? Which would date their relationship to long before garage Amazon was a thing Jeff was doing?
And I’m also guessing that MacKenzie had some involvement in the decision making process of whether or not she was cool with their garage being used as a start-up for an online store? I would venture to guess that she didn’t think Jeff was jamming with a garage band out there?
So why is everybody assuming that MacKenzie just spent the last 25+ years riding Jeff’s coat tails? Did she have nothing to do with decision to pursue Amazon as a viable business, or the financial risk they incurred as a couple by supporting Jeff’s lofty dreams?
Seriously people, are we in the dark ages here?
Also, in an article in the Atlantic last year, it was calculated that Jeff would need to spend $28 million dollars a day (yes a day) just to keep from getting wealthier! Not even to spend his fortune, just to keep it status quo!!! I think he can weather this financial storm.
Suffice to say I don’t have a whole lot of empathy to go around for Jeff when it comes to the financial blow this divorce will result in. I do have empathy for both of them as people. Divorce sucks. Whether you are an average Joe, or Jeff and MacKenzie, it blows. And let’s be honest, it’s probably a whole lot worse when you’re the richest people in the world and every detail of your intimate and private life is being splashed all over the front page of the news (and blogged about by random people).
But if Mrs. Bezos gets half of “Jeff’s” fortune, it sure seems like a pretty fair split to me. As a couple, they took risk, the risk paid off, they built a business and got very rich. From a financial standpoint, not a bad outcome for either of them.
3 comments
As a stay-at-home mom, this issue is near and dear to my heart. We as a family are as happy as we are, and at the position in life that we’re at, because of BOTH my husband’s and my contributions!
Sure, he’s the breadwinner, and I don’t earn much income. But the multitude of unpaid tasks I handle are equally valid contributions to our family health and wealth.
Neither of us would have the life we have without the other doing their part.
Good point. I don’t know anything about their personal life, but even if she had nothing at all to do with the “business” (highly unlikely), even if she just cut Jeff’s lunches, and looked after the kids so that Jeff had a clear mind to focus on the business, she helped the business. If she wasn’t there the business may not have gotten off the ground from day one. How much impact is that in $ terms? Potentially 100%.
Thanks Dan! I couldn’t agree with you more. Each persons contribution has value – it’s just not always a contribution that’s easily quantified.