Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon out of his Seattle garage in 1994, is leaving the city and moving to Miami to be near his parents and his space company Blue Origin.
Bezos announced the decision in an Instagram post late Thursday, which included a video of him touring one of Amazon’s earliest offices, the garage of his rented home in the Seattle suburb of Bellevue, Washington. It was there that Bezos in 1995 launched Amazon as an online bookseller, before transforming the company into a retail and cloud computing giant.
“I’ve lived in Seattle longer than I’ve lived anywhere else and have so many amazing memories here,” Bezos wrote. “As exciting as the move is, it’s an emotional decision for me. Seattle, you will always have a piece of my heart.”
Amazon’s rapid growth reshaped Seattle, particularly its South Lake Union area, where the company’s headquarters sits. Its rise helped turn Seattle into a tech hub, leading to an influx of highly paid tech workers, but also higher rents and homelessness.
Bezos stepped down as Amazon’s CEO in 2021, turning the helm over to former cloud boss Andy Jassy. Bezos transitioned to executive chair of Amazon’s board.
After stepping down as Amazon CEO, Bezos has spent more time on personal ambitions such as the Earth Fund and Blue Origin, as well as the Washington Post, which he acquired in 2013.
His presence has extended beyond Seattle for some time. Bezos recently spent $150 million for two adjoining properties in Miami’s Indian Creek Village, often referred to as the “billionaire bunker.” He owns other properties around the world.
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