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The Amazon founder’s incredible success came as a complete surprise to his biological father
While Jeff Bezos is a globally recognized name, famous for founding Amazon and amassing a fortune, not many are familiar with the details of his family life. Though his surname has come to represent unimaginable wealth, Bezos only inherited the name when he was four years old. His biological father, Ted Jorgensen, had no idea about his son’s incredible success until 2012, when he discovered he was the father of one of the richest men in the world.
At the age of 69, Jorgensen revealed in an interview that he found out he was Jeff Bezos’ biological father two years earlier. At that point, Bezos was already in his late 40s and a well-established business mogul.
Bezos was born in January 1964 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, when his mother, Jacklyn Gise, was still in high school, and his father was working as a circus performer. The couple divorced shortly when the Amazon founder – then named Jeffrey Preston Jorgensen was only 17 months old. Jacklyn married Miguel “Mike” Bezos in 1968 and asked Jorgensen to allow her new husband to adopt Jeff, to which he agreed, relinquishing his custody rights. Jeff’s surname was legally changed to Bezos.
Ted Jorgensen, in an interview with Inside Edition in 2014, recalled the last time he saw his son. “I was working in a Walmart and I remember them coming to visit me for some reason,” he said. “It was cold and he had his little winter coat on, and I just remember him walking down the aisle coming to see me.”
Fast forward to 2012, when Jorgensen was taken by surprise after journalist Brad Stone walked into his bike shop in Arizona to ask some questions for a book he was writing about Amazon’s rise. Stone informed Jorgensen that he had connected him to Jeff Bezos. The revelation shocked Jorgensen, who was unfamiliar with Bezos’ meteoric rise and had never heard of Amazon. At the time, he had no idea where his son was or whether he was still alive. “I didn’t know where he [Bezos] was, if he had a good job or not, or if he was alive or dead,” Jorgensen said.
Jorgensen admitted that over the years, he had forgotten his son’s new surname, which is why he had no clue about Bezos’ success. Reflecting on the situation, he expressed regret during the 2014 interview, calling it the “biggest mistake” of his life. “But at the time, I thought it was the best,” he said.
When Stone asked if Jorgensen knew who Jeff Bezos was, he replied, “No, the name kind of sounds familiar, but I don’t know him.”
Jorgensen, who was battling emphysema at the time, said he wished he could reach out to his son to apologize and tell him how proud he was of his achievements. “I would just like to tell him I used to change his diapers and just shake his hand and tell him he’s really done a good job with his life,” he said.
Sadly, Jorgensen passed away in March 2015 at the age of 70, never reconnecting with Bezos.
In a 1999 interview with Wired, Bezos was asked about his biological father, to which he responded, “The reality, as far as I’m concerned, is that my dad [Miguel Bezos] is my natural father.” Bezos added that he only ever thought about his biological father when filling out medical forms. He also expressed admiration for his adoptive father,
For moving to the US from Cuba as a teenager, saying: “His grit, determination, and optimism are inspiring.”
Although the two never reunited, Ted Jorgensen’s discovery of his son’s success serves as a reminder of life’s unpredictable twists and the impact of the choices we make.
