Jeff Bezos Booby-Trapped His Childhood Home To Keep Out Pesky Siblings—But Later Convinced Them to Invest $10,000 Each In Amazon: How Did It Turn Out For Them?

Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN founder Jeff Bezos wasn't just a visionary entrepreneur but also a mischievous older brother.

What Happened: In 2001, Bezos shared a glimpse of his childhood, reflecting on his relationship with his younger siblings, Mark and Christina . Being five and six years older, Bezos admitted he wasn't always the most welcoming big brother. "When I was 15, and they were ten and nine, I had no time for them whatsoever," Bezos said laughing.



"They were always the pesky younger siblings I tried to keep out of my room. I even booby-trapped the house with alarms and other contraptions." See Also: Jeff Bezos’ Biological Dad Didn’t Know He Was A Billionaire Until Someone Said: ‘Your Son Is One Of The Most Successful Men On The Planet’ According to The Seattle Times, Bezos once devised an electric alarm to keep Christina and Mark from entering his bedroom.

He also helped them with their school assignments, including science projects such as constructing seismographs. Subscribe to the Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox. Why It Matters: Despite their early sibling squabbles, Bezos later convinced Mark and Christina to take a chance on his ambitious venture, Amazon.

In 1996, Bezos encouraged his siblings to invest $10,000 each in Amazon. At the time, the internet was still in its infancy, and the company's success was far from guaranteed. Bezos had one request: if the investment failed, he still wanted an invitation to Thanksgiving dinner.

That investment turned out to be life-changing. For $10,000, each sibling acquired 30,000 shares of Amazon. That initial investment has now grown to over $1 billion , assuming they retained their shares.

Amazon currently has a market capitalization of $2.306 trillion, making it the fifth most valuable company in the world. Mark and Christina have maintained relatively low profiles.

Mark pursued careers in advertising and philanthropy, while Christina focused on family life and charitable efforts. Image via Shutterstock Check out more of Benzinga’s Consumer Tech coverage by following this link . Read Next: Jeff Bezos Reveals What Went Through His Mind When He Left A Job In New York And Decided To Start Amazon Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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