Jeff Bezos hints at selling $4.75 billion of Amazon shares due to trade war fears

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (Courtesy: Reuters file photo)

Jeff Bezos, founder and former CEO of Amazon, plans to sell up to $4.75 billion worth of the company’s stock over the next 12 months, according to new regulatory filings. The planned sale of 25 million shares will take place through an orderly trading plan that runs until the end of May 2026, and was initiated in early March, the Financial Times reported.

At Amazon's Thursday closing price of $190 a share, the planned divestiture is a major step by the world's second-wealthiest man, who has increasingly divorced himself from day-to-day life at the company since resigning as CEO in 2021.

The timing of the filing was in line with Amazon's warning late Thursday regarding the effect of US President Donald Trump's global trade war. The firm estimated that net sales and operating income may fall short of Wall Street estimates due to trade tensions as a primary risk to its growth prospects.

Space ventures and philanthropy are funded by selling stocks

Bezos, who previously sold over $13.4 billion in Amazon shares during 2024 alone, has largely used proceeds from stock sales to fund his space exploration company Blue Origin. While the venture is largely secretive about its financials, insiders estimate that its annual operating costs exceed $2 billion. Federal contracts cover part of the expenses, but Bezos personally bankrolls the rest.

He also remains committed to charitable causes, including his Day One Fund, a non-profit devoted to early childhood education in the form of Montessori-style schools. In March, he gave around $60 million worth of Amazon stock to an unnamed charitable group, regulatory filings reported.

Warming ties with Trump signal strategic pivot

Bezos has moved recently to mend his long-turbulent relationship with President Trump, a figure he previously characterized as a "threat to democracy." In the last year, Bezos has had several meetings with Trump and was present for his second inauguration with fiancée Lauren Sánchez. The warmer relationship is timed as Amazon confronts increasing regulatory and geopolitical tensions emanating from Washington.

This realignment also affected his media interests. In Bezos-owned The Washington Post, there has been a calculated turn toward themes of "free markets and personal liberties"—a decision that has apparently caused internal opposition and the departure of many senior journalists. The paper has apparently lost hundreds of thousands of readers in the last few months.

Ongoing restructuring of Bezos' empire

The revelation highlights Bezos' changing priorities, from transforming Amazon into a world retail and cloud computing giant to developing space technology, philanthropy, and political clout. His trading strategy, as well as Amazon's own market alert, heralds the wider uncertainties confronting U.S. tech firms as they navigate increased geopolitical and economic tensions under the policy of the Trump administration.

Amazon would not comment on the scheduled sales of stock, and Bezos has yet to publicly respond to the filing.