While Jeff Bezos is best known as the founder of Amazon and one of the richest individuals in the world, he also plays another deeply personal role — that of a father. Bezos shares four children with his ex-wife, philanthropist and novelist MacKenzie Scott: three sons and a daughter, one of whom was adopted from China. Despite his global fame, Bezos has worked hard to keep his children’s lives private. Only his eldest son, Preston, has been publicly named. Over the years, Bezos has occasionally offered glimpses into his parenting style, highlighting the importance of passion, independence, and hands-on learning. Here’s what we know about the billionaire’s family life and his approach to fatherhood.
Jeff Bezos’ private family life with rare public appearances
Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott were married for 25 years before their divorce in 2019. During their marriage, the couple raised four children — three biological sons and one adopted daughter — with a strong emphasis on privacy. To this day, Bezos has only publicly shared the name of his eldest son, Preston, who was born in 2000 and named after Bezos’ own middle name, which traces back to his great-grandfather.Despite their low public profile, the Bezos family made a rare appearance together in 2016 at the premiere of Star Trek Beyond, where all four children joined their parents on the red carpet. Preston later accompanied his father to the 2019 American Portrait Gala at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., marking another rare public outing.
Parenting values, routines, and advice from a billionaire dad
Bezos has often credited his own father, Cuban immigrant Miguel “Mike” Bezos, as a major influence on his life and parenting style. He has described his dad as a warm and hardworking role model who inspired his deep appreciation for optimism and resilience. Following this lead, Bezos instilled self-efficacy in his kids by encouraging them to build things on their own. In fact, he once said he let them use knives at age four and power tools by age seven — an approach shared by Scott, who famously said she would “rather have a kid with nine fingers than a resourceless kid.”Raising a family while building Amazon was no easy feat. Scott once told Vogue that after their third child, she stepped away from writing to focus on parenting full-time. “Those years were just too busy,” she recalled.Bezos, for his part, made family time a priority. He spoke of enjoying slow mornings with his children, reading the newspaper, having breakfast, and even doing the dishes every night. He also advised his children to follow their passions rather than chase prestige, saying, “Whatever you do, choose something you can bring passion to… That’s going to make it easier to work hard.”
Life after divorce: co-parenting and continued support
After announcing their divorce in early 2019, Bezos and Scott emphasized their commitment to co-parenting. In a joint statement, they described themselves as remaining close friends and supportive partners in raising their children. Just months later, both reaffirmed their respect for one another when their divorce was finalized. Scott noted she was “looking forward to the next phase as co-parents and friends,” while Bezos echoed her sentiment, saying he was “grateful” for her kindness and looked forward to their new relationship.As Bezos begins a new chapter of his life with his wife Lauren Sánchez, he continues to maintain a protective boundary around his children’s privacy while occasionally offering thoughtful insights into the values and lessons he hopes to pass on to them.
