Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos Once Made His Grandmother Cry Trying To Show Off His Math Skills — That Day, His Grandfather Gave Him A Life-Changing Piece Of Wisdom

Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN founder Jeff Bezos may have built one of the most powerful companies in the world, but a moment from his childhood — and the lesson that followed — stayed with him for life.

What Happened: In a 2018 conversation with Axel Springer SE CEO Mathias Döpfner, Bezos shared a formative memory from a childhood road trip with his grandparents.

At the time, Bezos was around 10 years old and, inspired by anti-smoking ads on the radio, calculated how many years his grandmother had lost from smoking.

Feeling clever, he announced the number aloud — only to see her burst into tears.

"My grandfather stopped the car and took me out, and I had no idea what was about to happen," Bezos said. "He had never said a cross word to me."

See Also: Jeff Bezos Described His Unique Life Philosophy Which Follows A Dorky Framework Revolving ‘Regret Minimization’

Instead of getting angry, Bezos' grandfather offered him a piece of advice that stuck: "You’re gonna figure out one day that it’s harder to be kind than clever."

Bezos described the wisdom as "really powerful" and noted how that moment shaped his understanding of empathy and maturity.

He also spoke about how much his grandparents, especially his grandfather, influenced his life. From age four to 16, Bezos spent summers on his grandfather's ranch in Texas, learning hands-on skills — from repairing windmills to treating cattle.

"He did everything himself," Bezos said. "He didn't call a vet if an animal was sick. He figured it out. It taught me resourcefulness."

Subscribe to the Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox.

Why It Matters: Bezos drew significant inspiration from his family, particularly his grandfather, Lawrence Preston Gise, who was both an engineer and a successful entrepreneur.

Bezos frequently turned to him for guidance and was deeply influenced by his determination and strong work ethic.

Bezos currently has a net worth of $203 billion, according to Bloomberg's Billionaire Index, making him the second wealthiest person in the world after Elon Musk.

As of a company filing in March 2025, Bezos holds approximately 8.6% of Amazon. He is also the owner of Blue Origin, a space exploration firm.

Bezos launched Amazon in 1994 to sell books over the internet. Following the company's IPO in 1997, its stock soared nearly 40 times in value, boosting Bezos's wealth to over $12 billion. However, by the time the dot-com bubble burst in 2001, the value of his Amazon holdings had dropped to under $2 billion.

Today, Amazon has a market capitalization of $1.961 trillion, making it the fourth most valuable company in the world. 

Amazon has a consensus price target of $257.82, based on insights from 45 analysts. The most optimistic projection came from Scotiabank, which set a target of $306 on Jan. 24, 2025, while the most conservative estimate was $203 from Wells Fargo on Feb. 25, 2025.

The latest targets from Citigroup, DA Davidson, and Morgan Stanley average $233.33, suggesting a potential upside of 28.55%, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

Benzinga's proprietary Edge Rankings give Amazon a momentum score of 62.11% and a growth score of 94.19%. To explore more stock trends and growth prospects, consider subscribing to Benzinga Edge.

Photo Courtesy: Rokas Tenys on Shutterstock.com

Check out more of Benzinga’s Consumer Tech coverage by following this link.

Read Next: 

• Jeff Bezos Reveals How Customer Feedback Led To Amazon’s ‘Sell Everything’ Strategy: ‘I Wish You Sold Windshield Wiper Blades…’

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.