1. He was NOT Jeff Bezos…in the beginning
Yes, you read that right, and it is a lot less controversial than it sounds. The birth name of Jeff Bezos is actually Jeffrey Preston Jorgenson. Bezos’ biological father was John Jorgensen who was a high wire unicyclist, but he fell out with Bezos’ mother, just one year after they got married. She, later on, married Miguel Bezos who legally adopted Jeff Bezos when he was four.
2. Curious, inventive and DIY-kinda guy
When he was just three, Bezos wanted to sleep on a real bed instead of sleeping in the crib. When his parents did not agree to his wish, he took matters in own hands, quite literally and took apart the crib that he used to sleep in with a screwdriver. Bezos has always been very inventive and curious. As a child, he would create things which were not only fun but also helpful. He once created an alarm to keep his siblings from entering his room. And just like Dexter’s Laboratory, Bezos had his own little lab in his parents’ garage to conduct his experiments safely.
3. VP by 26
4. The plan made in heaven? Nah! In a car!
6. The two pizza rule
Bezos has this theory according to which if in a work meeting you need more than two pizzas to feed the people involved then the group is too big to work at utmost efficiency. He believes that small groups allow more people to put their ideas on the table and give everyone an opportunity to be heard. The approach has been so popular that many other companies have adopted it. Steve Jobs had similar faith in small groups although he did not pizza-fy them. Great tech minds thinking alike, eh?
7. A man of investments
9. Making the Write choice
Bezos has great faith in the written word. He insists his employees actually write their ideas and proposals, no matter how long. As per him, this encourages creative thinking and helps employees work better.
10. Plans to live…forever?
Bezos has escaped death not just once but TWICE! The first incident was in 2001 when he was in Seattle during an earthquake of 6.9 magnitude, where he would have been crushed by a 20 pounds tungsten ball had he crawled under a table and got out of its way just in time.
