Jeff Bezos to sell nearly $5B of Amazon stock

Jeff Bezos to sell nearly $5B of Amazon stock

Amazon founder and executive chairman Jeff Bezos is planning to sell up to $5 billion worth of Amazon stock over the next year, according to a regulatory filing made on Friday. The sale, which will be executed through a 10b5-1 trading plan, is set to end on May 29, 2026, and will involve the sale of up to 25 million shares [1].

The planned sale comes amid a challenging environment for Amazon, which is navigating tariff uncertainty. However, the company's advertising business continues to surge, growing 19 percent in Q1 to $13.9 billion [1]. The announcement follows Bezos' sale of $13.4 billion of Amazon stock last year [2].

Bezos, the world's second-richest person, has consistently sold a small portion of his Amazon holdings to fund other ventures, including The Washington Post and the space firm Blue Origin. The sale of 25 million shares is a significant reduction from the 50 million shares he disclosed in a trading plan last year [1].

Amazon shares fell in after-hours trading on Friday following the announcement, slipping nearly 1% in early trading on Wall Street. The company reported its first quarter earnings for 2025, with revenue rising by 9% to $155.7 billion and profit coming in at $17.1 billion [2]. However, concerns around how Donald Trump’s trade tariffs could affect the business persist.

Bezos and Trump have had a mixed relationship, with Bezos arguing some of Trump’s rhetoric damaged democracy during the 2016 campaign. However, Bezos attended Trump’s inauguration earlier this year and donated $1 million to his inauguration fund [2]. The Washington Post, owned by Bezos, announced it would not endorse a candidate in the most recent presidential election and overhauled its opinion section to focus on personal liberties and free markets.

References:
[1] https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/jeff-bezos-to-sell-amazon-stock-2025-1236205980/
[2] https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/may/02/jeff-bezos-to-sell-amazon-stock-over-next-year