Jeff Bezos Just Married—And Instantly ‘Pockets’ $5.4 Billion: Is This the World’s Most Outrageous Wedding Gift or a Ruthless Power Play? Lavish Love, Billionaire Greed, and the Ultimate Merger—Celebration of the Century or Blatant Display of Wealth That Will Divide the World?

While public opinion is still overwhelmed by a lavish wedding worth tens of millions of euros in Venice (Italy), billionaire Jeff Bezos has made a huge financial move, making his big day a memorable event in terms of both love and money.

Billionaire Bezos and Lauren Sánchez held a lavish wedding ceremony on June 27 in Venice, Italy. Photo: Reuters.

Plan to “pocket” billions of dollars on the wedding day

On June 27, while holding a lavish wedding with his fiancée Lauren Sánchez, the Amazon founder filed a complaint with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) about the plan to sell 25 million Amazon shares. At an average price of $217.12 per share, the deal is worth an estimated $5.4 billion.

This move contributed to Jeff Bezos’ total wealth skyrocketing to $237 billion immediately after that day’s trading session. Although this is just the plan announced and the actual number may change, this information is still shocking enough.

A “small” deal in a huge fortune

This is the billionaire’s first sale of Amazon shares in 2025. If the transaction is successful, this will be one of his biggest “profit-taking” times. The most recent sale, which took place in November last year, only grossed $678 million.

Interestingly, these 25 million shares have a “lifetime” even bigger than Amazon on the stock exchange. Bezos received them in July 1994, about three years before the e-commerce giant went public. Even after selling this huge number of shares, he still holds more than 908 million shares in his personal account.

Wedding of the Century and Overwhelming Numbers

This financial event took place in parallel with the wedding dubbed Bezos’ “wedding of the century”. The ceremony was held at the ancient Basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice and was attended by 200-250 guests who were all A-list stars such as Oprah Winfrey, Leonardo DiCaprio, and the Kardashian family.

The multi-day event with an estimated cost of up to 40-50 million euros, attracted global attention for its extravagance but also faced some controversy because of its impact on the lives of local people.

Combining a major personal event with a high-profile financial transaction showed the Amazon founder’s distinct style, making June 27 a truly memorable day for him in every way.