"After a long period of loving exploration and trial separation, we have decided to divorce and continue our shared lives as friends," the couple said in the statement, BBC reported.
Bezos, 54, who founded Amazon, is the world's wealthiest man with an estimated wealth of $137bn, some $45bn ahead of Bill Gates, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index. MacKenzie Bezos, 48, is a novelist, and well-known for her books -- The Testing of Luther Albright (2005) and Traps (2013).
A divorce settlement could make her the world’s richest woman. Reportedly, the couple’s wealth is likely to be divided equally, including a 16 per cent stake in the company, according to Karin Lundell, a partner at law firm Rower LLC in New York, Livemint reported.
After the settlement, MacKenzie could surpass Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, current heir of the cosmetics manufacturer L’Oreal SA, who is the richest woman in the world, with a net worth of $45.6 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a ranking of the world’s 500 richest people.
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"It sounds friendly and she doesn't have any motive to mess with the business," said Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Securities Inc. The investors will be watching closely to see if the divorce settlement affects Bezos' control of Amazon. "I presume it will be business as usual, and wouldn't expect any lingering reaction," Pachter added.
It was rumoured that Jeff Bezos has been having a relationship with Lauren Sanchez, a former TV anchor and helicopter pilot and the wife of Hollywood talent agent Patrick Whitesell.
"We feel incredibly lucky to have found each other and deeply grateful for every one of the years we have been married to each other," the statement continued. "If we had known we would separate after 25 years, we would do it all again."
The couple has four children. The statement also revealed that the couple is looking forward to continuing working together as "parents, friends, partners in ventures and projects, and as individuals pursuing ventures and adventures".
Neither Jeff, MacKenzie or Amazon have commented about the division of the couple's assets.
Feature Picture By: The New York Times
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