Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced that after almost 30 years in Seattle, he will be moving back to Miami.
Bezos announced his decision to leave the Seattle-based headquarters of the e-commerce giant in a heartfelt Instagram posting late Thursday. The post was accompanied by an old video of him taking a tour of that company’s very first office.
The billionaire, who was born and raised in Miami, has written that he will be returning to the Sunshine State to be nearer to his parents, who have recently moved there.
Bezos said that Blue Origin, his space exploration firm, is increasingly moving to Cape Canaveral in Florida. He also stated that he, and his fiancee Lauren Sanchez, “love” Miami.
Bezos said in the video that Seattle has been his home since 1994 when he started Amazon in his garage.
“I have lived in Seattle for longer than anywhere else, and I have many wonderful memories here. Although it is exciting, I am also emotional about the move. Seattle, I will always love you.”
Bezos gives a tour in the video clip of his compact office, which is made up of three desks with paper and a large whiteboard. The office is so small that a cable cord attached to the wall is used to provide more power to the workstation.
Bezos smiles as he says, “It’s not long before you can tour the Amazon.com, Inc. offices.” A dog barks in the background.
His father, the one who was shooting the scene, was more enthusiastic, declaring “We are at the nerve center!”
Amazon went on to dominate the online retail industry, becoming one of the biggest companies in the entire world. Bloomberg reports that Bezos has a net worth of $156 billion and is the third richest man in the entire world.
Bezos made the announcement just two weeks after purchasing a $79-million mansion on Florida’s exclusive island of “Billionaire Bunker”. This site is right next to the $68 million estate that Bezos bought two months ago.
Also residing on the island are supermodel Adriana Lima, Jeff Soffer (a property magnate), Julio Iglesias, a singer-songwriter, and Norman Braman, a car dealer.
Bezos may also profit financially from the move if he decides to sell Amazon shares. Florida does not tax capital gains, unlike Washington. Washington has recently implemented a 7% tax on financial assets.
Washington and Florida do not have state income tax.
