Jeff Bezos Says He 'Won the Lottery' With His Teen Mom—She Had Him at 17, Took Him to Night School, Then Invested Her $245K Savings In Amazon

Before Amazon AMZN became a $2 trillion tech giant, it was just an idea—and Jeff Bezos had something better than venture capital: his mom.

"I won the lottery with my mom. Thanks for literally everything," Bezos declared in a heartfelt X post on Mother's Day 2017.

Jacklyn Bezos had Jeff when she was only 17, defying the odds from day one. Pressured to drop out of high school, she stayed the course, graduated, and supported herself and her infant son on just $190 a month working as a secretary.

Don't Miss:

‘Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. You can invest today for just $0.30/share with a $1000 minimum.
Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — this is your last chance to become an investor for $0.80 per share.

At night, she attended school, showing up with two duffel bags—one packed with textbooks and the other with diapers, bottles, and toys to keep baby Jeff occupied.

After divorcing Jeff's biological father, Ted Jorgensen, she later married Miguel "Mike" Bezos, a Cuban immigrant who fled Castro's Cuba alone at age 16. Mike adopted Jeff and became the dad who raised him.

Jorgensen, a former circus unicyclist and bike shop owner, lost contact with Jeff shortly after the divorce. For decades, he didn't know what became of his son—until 2012, when a journalist tracked him down while researching Bezos' biography. "I wasn't a good father or a good husband," Jorgensen admitted at the time, expressing regret that he never reconnected with Jeff before his death in 2015.

Trending: Donald Trump just announced a $500 billion AI infrastructure deal — here's how you can invest in the entertainment market's next big disruptor at $2.25 per share.

Deloitte’s #1 fastest-growing software company partners with Amazon, Walmart & Target – Many are rushing to grab 4,000 of its pre-IPO shares for just $0.26/share!

Mode Mobile developed a smartphone called EarnPhone, which allows users to earn and save money by playing video games, listening to music and reading the news. With the phone priced at an affordable $99, the barriers to adoption are low.

Earning Opportunity for All Smartphone Users

Mode EarnPhone
State-of-the-art smartphone device includes built-in earning features.
EarnOS
Proprietary earning software turns smartphones into EarnPhones.

Min. Investment: $1000

Share Price: $0.26

Valuation: $310M

In the early 1990s, Jeff Bezos was working on Wall Street when he became captivated by the rapid growth of internet usage. Recognizing the potential of e-commerce, he decided to leave his stable job and pursue his vision of an online bookstore. In 1994, he and his then-wife, MacKenzie Scott, drove across the country from New York to Seattle, drafting Amazon's business plan along the way.

That's when Jacklyn and Mike made a bold move. They didn't just give or loan him money. They invested $245,573—a significant piece of their life savings. Bezos later recalled in an interview with the Academy of Achievement, "The first initial start-up capital for Amazon.com came primarily from my parents, and they invested a large fraction of their life savings in what became Amazon.com."

Jeff even warned them upfront that there was a 70% chance they'd lose everything. Instead, their early equity stake—roughly 6% of the fledgling company—grew into billions. Estimates from Bloomberg in 2018 placed the family's wealth from that bet at around $30 billion. Since the stock has grown significantly since 2018, their share could be worth more than double now, assuming they retained all original shares.

See Also: Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary called Missing Ring his biggest mistake — Don't repeat history—invest in RYSE at just $1.90/share.

In 2022, Bezos posted another tribute on X, writing: "Mom, I have no idea how you did what you did. You kept us both safe inside your heart. Thank you for sharing your strength and for all the sacrifices you made. I love you."

From night school duffel bags to one of the biggest fortunes in history, Bezos' story is a reminder: sometimes, the best investors aren't venture capitalists. They're parents who believe—even when the odds say otherwise.

Read Next: