JEFF Bezos unloaded 12 million shares of Amazon.com this week, the first time the billionaire has sold the company’s stock since 2021.

The sales took place on Wednesday (Feb 7) and Thursday and netted just over US$2 billion, according to a filing.

Amazon disclosed on Feb 2 that Bezos plans to sell as many as 50 million shares of Amazon over the next 12 months, potentially cashing in on a stock surge that’s put him within reach of becoming the world’s richest person. His fortune has climbed US$22.6 billion this year to US$199.5 billion as at Friday, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

The Amazon founder has sold over US$30 billion in shares since records going back to 2002, including about US$20 billion combined in 2020 and 2021. He has primarily been gifting stock, including shares worth roughly US$230 million that were given to non-profit organisations in November.

Amazon, through a spokesperson, declined to comment. BLOOMBERG