Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and one of the richest people in the world, announced on Thursday that he is leaving Seattle, the city where he started his e-commerce empire, and moving to Miami, Florida. Bezos revealed his decision in an Instagram post, which included a video of him touring one of Amazon’s earliest offices, the garage of his rented home in Bellevue, Washington.
Bezos said he has lived in Seattle longer than anywhere else and has many amazing memories there. He thanked the city for its support and said it will always have a piece of his heart. He also said he is excited about the move, which he called an emotional decision.
Bezos said he is moving to Miami to be closer to his parents, who recently moved back to his hometown. He was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but moved to Miami when he was four years old and attended high school there. He also said he is moving to be near his space company, Blue Origin, which has its operations in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The impact of Amazon on Seattle
Amazon was founded by Bezos in 1994 as an online bookstore, operating out of his garage in Bellevue. The company later moved to Seattle’s South Lake Union district, where it built its headquarters and expanded into other businesses, such as cloud computing, digital streaming, artificial intelligence, and smart devices.
Amazon’s rapid growth transformed Seattle into a tech hub, attracting thousands of highly paid workers and creating a booming economy. However, it also contributed to rising rents, homelessness, traffic congestion, and gentrification. Some critics accused Amazon of not paying enough taxes and not doing enough to address the social and environmental issues in the city.
Bezos stepped down as Amazon’s CEO in 2021, handing over the role to Andy Jassy, the former head of Amazon Web Services. Bezos remained as the executive chair of Amazon’s board and said he would focus more on his personal projects, such as the Washington Post, which he bought in 2013, the Earth Fund, which he launched in 2020 to combat climate change, and Blue Origin, which he founded in 2000 to pursue his passion for space exploration.
The attraction of Miami for Bezos
Miami is not a new destination for Bezos, who has visited the city several times and has invested in some properties there. He recently spent $150 million for two adjoining estates in Indian Creek Village, an exclusive island community known as the “billionaire bunker” for its wealthy and famous residents. He also owns a mansion in Coral Gables, a historic city near Miami.
Miami is also home to Bezos’ parents, Miguel and Jacklyn Bezos, who moved back to the city in 2019 after living in Texas for many years. Miguel Bezos is a Cuban immigrant who came to the US as a teenager and later adopted Jeff, who was born to Jacklyn and her first husband, Ted Jorgensen. Jacklyn Bezos is a philanthropist who runs the Bezos Family Foundation, which supports education and youth development.
Another reason for Bezos’ move to Miami is his space company, Blue Origin, which has its launch site and rocket factory in Cape Canaveral, about three hours away from Miami by car. Blue Origin is competing with other private space companies, such as SpaceX and Virgin Galactic, to develop reusable rockets and send humans to the moon and beyond. Bezos has said he wants to use his wealth to help humanity become a multi-planetary species.
