>
Amazon.com founder and Chief Executive Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest man, and his wife MacKenzie Bezos, have announced that they are divorcing after 25 years of marriage.
The couple made the announcement on Twitter on Wednesday.
Jeff Bezos, 54, is currently the world’s richest man. He has credited MacKenzie, 48, for her support when as a young couple in 1994, they left New York for Seattle to launch Amazon, an online bookseller that grew into the world’s largest internet retailer.
MacKenzie Bezos, a Princeton graduate who is now a novelist, did accounting for Amazon for its first year after it was founded.
The couple decided to divorce after a long period of “loving exploration” and trial separation, and expect to remain partners in ventures and projects, according to the joint statement.
The statement read: “We want to make people aware of a development in our lives.
“As our family and close friends know, after a long period of loving exploration and trial separation, we have decided to divorce and continue our shared lives as friends.
“We feel incredibly lucky to have found each other and deeply grateful for every one of the years we have been married to each other. If we had known we would separate after 25 years, we would do it all again.”
The statement added: “We’ve had such a great life together as a married couple, and we also see wonderful futures ahead, as parents, friends, partners in ventures and projects, and as individuals pursuing ventures and adventures.
“Though the labels might be different, we remain a family, and we remain cherished friends.”
Few hours after the announcement, reports revealed that Jeff is already in a secret relationship with a former TV anchor, Lauren Sanchez.
Sanchez is the estranged wife of Hollywood star mogul Patrick Whitesell, according to Page Six.