Jeff Bezos’ Long-Lost Dad Learned He Was a Billionaire—Decades Too Late

Jeff Bezos' biological father, Ted Jorgensen, did not know his son was the billionaire behind Amazon until an author tracked him down in 2012.

Jeff Bezos

Ted Jorgensen; The Billionaire Son He Never Knew

When author Brad Stone walked into a small bicycle shop in Glendale, Arizona in 2012, its owner had no idea he was about to learn one of the most shocking truths of his life. Ted Jorgensen, a humble bike shop owner, was stunned when Stone revealed: “Your son is one of the most successful men on the planet.”

That son was Jeff Bezos — the founder of Amazon and one of the richest men in the world. Jorgensen didn’t even recognize the name.

“I wasn’t a good father or a good husband,” he admitted. “I didn’t know if he was alive or dead. The last time I saw him, he was in diapers.”

Bezos was born in 1964 to 17-year-old Jacklyn “Jackie” Gise and 19-year-old Jorgensen, a teenage unicyclist who struggled with alcohol. The marriage ended before Jeff’s second birthday, and Jackie eventually married Cuban immigrant Miguel “Mike” Bezos, who adopted Jeff and raised him as his own.

In a rare Instagram post following his mother’s death on August 14 after a battle with Lewy Body Dementia, Bezos shared heartfelt words about the nearly 60-year marriage between Jackie and Mike — words that made no mention of his biological father.

“For nearly 60 years, Jackie and Mike built a life grounded in love, mutual respect and shared joy,” Bezos wrote. “Through every chapter—challenges and triumphs alike—their devotion never wavered.”

For Bezos, Mike was always “Dad.” In a 1999 interview, he said the only time he ever thought about his biological father was when filling out medical forms.

Jorgensen, for his part, later expressed a desire to meet the son he had lost — but that reunion never happened. He passed away in 2015, just three years after discovering who his son had become.

A twist of fate, decades of silence, and a billionaire’s life built far from the man who gave him his name — but not his legacy.