Contributor: Jeff Bezos

Born in 1964 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Jeffrey Preston Bezos is the founder, president, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of Amazon.com, which was launched in Seattle in 1994.

Bezos' wealth is primarily derived from his holding in Amazon stock. At the close of 2006, he held just over 100 million shares of common stock, nearly 25% of all Amazon shares. According to Forbes' 2007 list of the world's wealthiest people, Bezos occupied 35th position, with an estimated fortune of $8.7bn.