Jeff Bezos to leave Seattle for Miami nearly 30 years after founding Amazon
Bezos announced he is leaving the birthplace of e-commerce giant Amazon via a heartfelt Instagram post late Thursday
Amazon's Jeff Bezos buys new mega mansion in exclusive Miami island
The Amazon founder, and the world's third-richest person, agreed to pay $68 million for an estate in Indian Creek, a man-made barrier island near Miami. (The Mega Agency)
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has announced that he is leaving Seattle after nearly 30 years and moving back to the warmth of Miami.
Bezos, 59, announced he is ditching the birthplace of the e-commerce giant via a heartfelt Instagram post late Thursday, which was accompanied by an old video clip of him giving a tour of the company's first office in Seattle.
The billionaire businessman, who grew up in Miami, wrote that he is making the big switch back to the Sunshine State in order to be closer to his parents, who recently returned there.
Bezos also mentioned that the operations of Blue Origin — his space exploration company — are increasingly shifting to Cape Canaveral, Florida, and that he and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez "love" Miami.
JEFF BEZOS BUYS $68 MILLION MANSION IN MIAMI'S EXCLUSIVE 'BILLIONAIRE BUNKER'
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez attend the global premiere of "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" at Odeon Leicester Square in London on Aug. 30, 2022. (Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images / Getty Images)
"Seattle has been my home since 1994 when I started Amazon out of my garage," Bezos wrote under the video clip.
"I’ve lived in Seattle longer than I’ve lived anywhere else and have so many amazing memories here. As exciting as the move is, it’s an emotional decision for me. Seattle, you will always have a piece of my heart."
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Jeff Bezos speaks about his flight into space on Blue Origin’s New Shepard during a press conference in Van Horn, Texas, on July 20, 2021. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images / Getty Images)
The video clip shows Bezos giving a tour of the compact office space, which consists of three paper-filled desks and one large whiteboard. The office is so modest that an external cable cord attached to a wall is being used to inject more power into the work station.
"It doesn’t take long to tour the offices of Amazon.com, Inc," Bezos says smiling, as a dog barks in the background.
His father, who is shooting the scene, was a bit more enthusiastic, declaring: "We are in the nerve center!"
Amazon would later go on to dominate the e-commerce industry and become one of the largest companies in the world. Bezos is the third-richest man in the world with a net worth of around $156 billion, according to Bloomberg.
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Bezos’ announcement comes just two weeks after he purchased a $79 million mansion in Florida’s exclusive "Billionaire Bunker" island. The site is next door to a $68 million estate he scooped up two months earlier.
The island is also home to supermodel Adriana Lima, property magnate Jeff Soffer, singer-songwriter Julio Iglesias and car dealership mogul Norman Braman.
The move may also benefit Bezos financially if he sells Amazon shares, since Florida, unlike Washington, does not have a capital gains tax. Washington recently enacted the 7% tax on the sale of financial assets.
Neither Washington nor Florida has state income taxes.
