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Jeff Bezos STILL Drives This Modest Car Despite Being the Richest Man on the Planet

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Jeff Bezos may be enjoying his massive fortune from a myriad of business ventures like the online retail giant, Amazon, but the tech-billionaire reveals he prefers living a modest lifestyle with minimal luxuries. While he does purchase some expensive cars occasionally, Bezos still prefers driving his favorite Honda that he has owned for decades. Why? It’s because it serves as a constant reminder of his humble beginnings and where he started from.

Humble Beginnings

Jeff Bezos reveals it was in the year 1994 when he decided to quit his high-paying job at Wall Street and took a leap of faith to launch Amazon. The tech-billionaire explained how he started his business with only ten employees while he drove around in his 1987 Chevy Blazer to deliver packages and customers’ orders at post offices. At the time, Bezos dreamed that one day he would become rich and purchase more cars to make the delivery process more efficient.

Bezos upgraded his car to a modest Honda car when he earned enough fortune after the success of his Amazon launching.

Bezos upgraded his car to a modest Honda car when he earned enough money after Amazon’s success

Three years later, Bezos’ wealth surged to an astounding $12 billion when Amazon went public in 1997! Despite his massive wealth, Bezos opted to replace his 1987 Chevy Blazer with an equally modest Honda Accord and he only spent a few pennies to have his vehicle upgraded. According to auto experts, Bezos’ modest purchase was something you won’t expect from a billionaire, but this shows that Bezos was never in it for the money.

The Features

In an interview with a 1999 segment show entitled 60 Minutes, Bob Simon asked what compelled the Amazon founder to purchase Honda. To which Bezos answered that it was a great car and it attended to his needs well. Despite his astounding $10 billion wealth back then, Bezos said his headquarters in Seattle shared a street address with a parlor and a pawn shop.

Bezos prefers to spend and invest his money on things that matter to his customers like improving their services.

Bezos prefers to spend and invest his money on things that matter to his customers like expanding his business

His working desk was also recycled and reconstructed from a wooden door and 2×4 pieces of repurposed wood. What’s even more surprising was that Bezos said his minimalist lifestyle both in work and in his personal life was intentional. According to the Amazon founder, he didn’t want to spend his money on unnecessary things.

The Progress

Five years later, most of Amazon’s employees still used door desks while working. The company upgraded to an innovative office space only recently.  Today, Amazon makes a staggering $43.7 billion when it comes to sales and revenue worldwide — hailing Jeff Bezos as the richest man in the world.

Bezos can still be seen hitting the road with his Honda car up to this day.

Bezos can still be seen hitting the road with his Honda car up to this day

Despite Amazon’s massive success and notable milestones, the company’s core values are still the same as they were years ago which include frugal practices and minimalistic working environment. Jeff Bezos also prefers to invest his money in his business ventures and philanthropic causes instead of wasting it on material things. Amazon also gives “Door Desk Award” to their loyal employees who come up with innovative ideas to save more money or decrease the company’s costs without sacrificing the output quality.

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