Jeff Bezos made $735 million off Wall Street during his wedding, but the real story is still unfolding

Most couples head into marriage with hearts full of love and honeymoon plans, but Jeff Bezos had another companion on his wedding day—Wall Street. On June 27, 2025, while exchanging vows with media personality Lauren Sánchez aboard his luxury superyacht Koru off Italy’s Amalfi Coast, Bezos sold more than 3.3 million Amazon shares, netting $735 million, according to Fortune’s review of SEC filings. The sales didn’t stop there. In the weeks following the wedding, the Amazon founder continued offloading stock, ultimately liquidating shares worth $5.7 billion between late June and late July, capitalising on Amazon’s rising stock prices.

Jeff Bezos wedding celebrations coincide with one of his biggest Amazon stock liquidations

The wedding celebrations were marked by opulence, a yacht worth half a billion dollars, celebrity guests, and stunning Mediterranean scenery. Yet, alongside champagne toasts and romantic moments, Bezos was executing one of his largest stock selloffs in recent history.On the day of the wedding, shares were sold between $221 and $223. By July 24, 2025, Bezos had sold over 24 million shares, benefiting from Amazon’s stock price surge beyond $233. Despite the massive liquidation, Bezos still holds 884 million Amazon shares, preserving his status as the company’s largest individual shareholder and cementing his rank as the world’s third-richest person, with an estimated net worth of $252 billion as reported by Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Jeff Bezos uses planned stock sales to avoid insider trading issues

The selloff was not impulsive but executed under the SEC’s Rule 10b5-1, which allows corporate executives to schedule share trades in advance. This system ensures trades are conducted at arm’s length, reducing the risk of accusations related to insider trading. Other tech leaders, such as Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, have adopted similar trading frameworks. For Bezos, this reflects a strategic wealth management approach, balancing liquidity needs, market timing, and public perception while maintaining confidence in Amazon’s long-term performance.Beyond wealth management, Bezos also made substantial charitable contributions. According to a Form 144 filing dated June 27, he donated 633,812 Amazon shares across May and June to undisclosed nonprofit organizations.This low-profile philanthropic move aligns with Bezos’s stated goal of giving away most of his fortune over his lifetime. While he has not signed The Giving Pledge, as reported to CNN in 2022:“We are building the capacity to be able to give away this money.”These donations highlight Bezos’s evolving focus on philanthropy, emphasizing capacity-building for impactful giving rather than publicized gestures.

Jeff Bezos balances love, wealth, and giving

Jeff Bezos’s wedding week encapsulated three key elements of billionaire life—personal milestones, financial strategy, and social impact. By combining a lavish wedding with a preplanned stock selloff and discreet charitable donations, Bezos demonstrated how high-net-worth individuals manage liquidity events without alarming investors or drawing controversy. With Amazon stock surging, philanthropic commitments growing, and his wealth firmly intact, Bezos continues to influence global business, technology, and now even high-profile personal finance strategies.Also Read | Donald Trump’s AI plan gains tech giant support to boost US tech edge in AI race against China