At a sensitive moment in the tariff war, Bezos discloses a plan to reduce his stake in Amazon by $4.75 billion

According to the latest regulatory filings, Bezos plans to sell up to $4.75 billion (approximately 25 million shares) of Amazon stock over the next 12 months.

The disclosure of this large-scale reduction plan comes at a sensitive moment when Amazon has issued warnings about potential trade war risks, drawing market attention.

This plan is part of an orderly stock sale scheme that he set up back in early March this year, which will continue until the end of May 2026.

Bezos Continues to Reduce Holdings, Focuses on Blue Origin

Based on Amazon's closing price of $190 per share on Thursday, the scale of this reduction is approximately $4.75 billion.

In fact, Bezos has already sold over $13.4 billion worth of Amazon stock in 2024, while during the same period, the company's market value briefly surpassed $2 trillion due to the AI boom.

The world's second-richest man is gradually shifting his attention away from the e-commerce company he founded in 1994, refocusing on his space startup Blue Origin and the American newspaper The Washington Post.

As the sole shareholder of Blue Origin, Bezos must bear its high operating expenses. Media reports citing sources close to Blue Origin reveal that the company's annual costs exceed $2 billion. Revenue from federal government contracts partially offsets the cost pressures, with the remaining funding gap filled by Bezos.

Meanwhile, Bezos is also increasing his charitable contributions, particularly to the education-focused charity he founded, the Day One Fund. In March of this year, he additionally sold about $60 million worth of Amazon stock to donate to a nonprofit organization whose name has not been disclosed.

Impact of Trump's Trade War, Amazon Issues Earnings Warning

Bezos's reduction plan coincides with the ongoing escalation of the global trade war initiated by the Trump administration, making the timing of this reduction particularly sensitive to the market.

Just hours before Bezos announced his reduction plan, Amazon had issued an earnings warning, stating that Trump's trade policies have severely impacted the company's performance, and the company expects future net sales and operating profits to fall below Wall Street expectations.

The global trade frictions under the Trump administration have not only increased supply chain costs for businesses but have also further reduced the profit margins of multinational e-commerce giants, putting pressure on companies like Amazon.

Against this backdrop, Bezos's large-scale reduction has drawn attention and speculation from the investment community.

Strategic Shift Closer to Trump, The Washington Post Faces Growing Pains

At the same time, the political posture of this top global billionaire (currently ranked as the second richest person in the world) has also attracted attention.

This tech billionaire, who previously publicly criticized Trump as a "threat to democracy," is now gradually drawing closer to Trump. Over the past year, he has met with Trump multiple times and attended Trump's second presidential inauguration with his fiancée Lauren Sanchez.

Bezos's shift in political attitude is also reflected in the adjustment of the operational strategy of The Washington Post. Recently, he has explicitly requested the newspaper to focus on issues such as personal freedom and free markets, avoiding excessive involvement in intense political confrontations. This decision has caused internal turmoil at the newspaper, leading to the departure of many talented journalists and the loss of hundreds of thousands of subscribers