Jeff Bezos is known as one of the world's richest individuals and his public ventures and romance with Lauren Sanchez are well-documented.
But his family life and relationship with his siblings remains a lesser-explored aspect of his personal story.
The Amazon founder was born to his mom, Jacklyn Bezos, and her first husband, Ted Jorgensen, however, they split when he was 17 months old.
Jacklyn found love again with Mike Bezos and they tied the knot in 1968, and went on to welcome Jeff's half-siblings, Mark and Christina.
Fame and fortune haven't driven the siblings apart and they maintain a close bond to this day with Jeff calling them "one of life's greatest gifts."
Here's what we know about Mark and Christina.
He is a supportive big brother
Jeff took on his role as older brother just as any kid would do, both teasing but helping his younger siblings. According to a profile in the Seattle Times, he would help Mark and Christina with their science homework, while also using his smart to keep them at bay.
Jeff spent hours on inventions including a robot that roamed their yard and an electric alarm to keep his brother and sister out of his bedroom.
They were not surprised at Jeff's fame but did struggle to process it at first.
"When your brother is all of a sudden one of these people who is being recognized, you look at him and try to imagine you’re seeing him for the first time," Mark explained to The Seattle Times in 1999. "[He is] Jeff Bezos, the guy who started Amazon, as opposed to Jeff Bezos, the guy who used to make you tickle his feet."
They were early Amazon investors
Mark and Christina followed in their parents' footsteps when they invested early in Amazon. Jacklyn and Mike invested $250,000 in Jeff's company in 1995. One year later, Christina and Mark took the plunge too. According to Bloomberg, they each bought 30,000 Amazon shares for $10,000.
The publication states that if they chose to hold onto the shares then in 2018 they would have been worth $640 million.
© InstagramMark is an entrepreneur and philanthropist
Mark shares the same ambitious spirit as his elder sibling. While Jeff took the business world by storm, Mark has dedicated much of his life to philanthropy, community service, and entrepreneurship.
Mark is perhaps best known for his work with Robin Hood, a leading anti-poverty organization in New York City, where he has served as a director.
Robin Hood focuses on raising funds to help alleviate poverty through education, job training, and housing assistance, among other initiatives. He is dedicated to giving back to the community and this has been a defining trait throughout his career.
© Getty ImagesIn addition to his philanthropic work, Mark is also an entrepreneur and has amassed an impressive $40 million fortune according to several outlets.
He co-founded HighPost Capital, a private equity firm focused on consumer brands. His career trajectory has been diverse, spanning advertising, non-profit work, and now private equity.
Christina's low profile
Christina is the middle sibling and maintains a lower profile than her brothers. That being said, she and Mark are closely involved with the Bezos Family Foundation.
Mark has been a director of the foundation since 1999.
It was their parents, Jacklyn and Mike who founded the organization that helps kids thrive and discover their potential through various grants and programs.
Outside of work, they're also close and chose to spend as much time together as possible, often vacationing with their families.
Like Jeff, Mark has four children and Christina reportedly has three of her own.
© Getty ImagesTaking flight with Jeff
One of the more public moments that brought Mark into the spotlight was when he joined Jeff on the historic first crewed flight of Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket in July 2021. The sibling duo made history together and highlighted their close family bond at the same time.
"I wasn’t even expecting him to say he was going to be on the first flight, and then when he asked me to go along, I was just awestruck" Mark said ahead of the flight. "What a remarkable opportunity, not only to have this adventure but to be able to do it with my best friend."
© Joe RaedleChristina didn't join them on the flight but before take-off her message to them was transmitted to them.
"Now hurry up and your [expletive] back down here so I can give you a huge hug. We love you, and Godspeed."
