In the late 1990s, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos made a strategic investment that would go down as one of the most lucrative in tech history. He invested $250,000 in Google, a small startup at the time, founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were Ph.D. students at Stanford University. This was long before Google became the dominant search engine and a multi-trillion-dollar tech empire.
A High-Risk Investment with Monumental Returns
At the time of Bezos’ investment, Google was still finding its footing in Silicon Valley, operating from a garage and refining its search engine algorithm. Despite its relatively unknown status, Bezos saw potential in its mission to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible. His quarter-million-dollar investment reportedly secured him around 3.3 million shares in the company.
When Google went public in 2004 at a price of $85 per share, Bezos’ stake turned into a massive fortune. Over the years, as Google (now Alphabet Inc.) expanded into various industries—cloud computing, artificial intelligence, advertising, and hardware—its stock value surged. The shares that Bezos had acquired for a modest sum were eventually worth billions of dollars, making this one of the most profitable venture capital-style investments in tech history.
Bezos’ Eye for Innovation
Bezos’ early bet on Google exemplifies his ability to recognize promising technology long before it achieves mainstream success. While he is best known for building Amazon into an e-commerce and cloud computing powerhouse, this investment underscores his broader vision for the future of the internet and digital economy.
Though Bezos eventually sold most of his Google shares, this investment contributed significantly to his wealth. Today, Alphabet Inc. remains one of the world’s most valuable companies, with a market capitalization exceeding $1.5 trillion, while Bezos continues to focus on ventures like Blue Origin, The Washington Post, and philanthropic initiatives.
His success with Google serves as a reminder of the power of early-stage investing and how a single well-placed bet can generate extraordinary returns.
