Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos said he was moving to Miami from the Seattle region, relocating to be closer to his parents and the Cape Canaveral operations of Blue Origin LLC, his space exploration company.
Bezos—the world’s third-wealthiest man, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index—made the announcement Thursday via Instagram, which included video of him in his Seattle garage where he founded Amazon in 1994.
“I’ve lived in Seattle longer than I’ve lived anywhere else and have so many amazing memories here,” Bezos said. “As exciting as the move is, it’s an emotional decision for me. Seattle, you will always have a place in my heart.”
Amazon helped transform Seattle—the company is the city’s biggest private employer—into a technology hub with offices in the downtown core. Bezos stepped down as Amazon chief executive officer in 2021 to become the company’s executive chairman. He was succeeded by Andy Jassy.
Bezos has recently bought two homes in Indian Creek, a man-made barrier island in the larger Miami area known as the “Billionaire Bunker.” He paid $79 million for a seven-bedroom mansion after purchasing the neighboring property for $68 million.
Since the pandemic, Bezos has increasingly spent time outside Seattle, say employees who deal with him. He also owns homes in Washington, D.C., New York City, Los Angeles and Maui, as well as a 300,000-acre ranch in Texas, the base of the launch site for Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket. Bezos has also built the $500 million superyacht Koru.
Miami has increasingly become a destination for the ultra-wealthy and their companies, offering a combination of lifestyle and low taxes.
Finance titans Ken Griffin, Dan Loeb and Josh Harris have scooped up lush waterfront Miami Beach mansions since the pandemic. Also, soccer star Lionel Messi recently purchased an oceanside mansion in a South Florida suburb after joining Inter Miami of Major League Soccer, the U.S. professional league.
Griffin moved the global headquarters of his business to the city from Chicago and is planning to build a headquarters costing at least $1 billion.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.
