- Jeff Bezos' $81,400 salary hasn't changed since 1998
- Amazon pays out around $1.6 million in security and travel expenses for its founder
- Other Amazon execs take home $365,000 in pay, as well as millions in expenses
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos still earns a base salary of around $81,400 from the company, yars after stepping down as CEO – a figure that has remained unchanged since 1998.
Even with the relatively low salary, Bezos has never taken bonus or additional compensation from the company, which he has previously said is by choice.
His $81k salary is also deliberately low and not aligned with typical exec structures, with most of his wealth instead coming from Amazon shares, of which he owns around 8%, worth hundreds of billions.
Jeff Bezos only takes an $81k salary despite his net worth
Bezos is currently worth an estimated $250 billion, making him the third-richest individual in the world and one of many worth a similar figure – falling far short of Elon Musk's $800+ billion net worth.
However, while Bezos doesn't take the typical exec salary, he is still entitled to considerable compensation from the company's expenses funds, racking up around $1.6 million annually in security and travel costs.
"Mr. Bezos requested not to receive additional compensation and has never received annual cash compensation in excess of his current amount," Amazon’s 2026 proxy filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, reads.
Meanwhile, other Amazon execs take home a pay of $365,000, including its current CEO, Andy Jassy - although he claimed other expenses related to security and travelling.
"Due to Mr. Bezos’s substantial stock ownership, he believes he is appropriately incentivized and his interests are appropriately aligned with shareholders’ interests," the filing continues.
Amazon share prices are up around 42% in five years, currently at an all-time high of $241 and on the way up again after recent events, so the expenditure may not have much of an effect on the final accounts.
