Jaesung was startled upon hearing the man’s name.
The reason he didn’t recognize him at first was that although his forehead was quite broad, he still had hair left. His face was young, exuding a playful nerdy vibe, but it was definitely the Jefferson Bezos that Jaesung knew.
“You two look like a prince and princess from the East. I’m so happy to have a pretty princess as a neighbor.”
While Jaesung was shocked and momentarily speechless, Jefferson’s wife, MacKenzie Bezos, approached and fussed over the pretty Jaeeun, who took after her parents.
The couple wanted a daughter but had three sons and eventually adopted one from China.
Seeing the Bezos couple show interest in Jaeeun, recalling their family relationships made it understandable why they liked her so much.
Seeing they only had two young sons so far, it seemed the youngest hadn’t been born yet.
“Your wife is beautiful too. I’m glad good neighbors moved in.”
“Oh my! Such a young friend speaks so prettily. You must be popular at school.”
Most people think of Amazon.com as something Jefferson Bezos created alone, but in the early startup days, his wife MacKenzie also participated in management and accounting, playing a big role.
They look so happy now, but later this guy goes bald, builds his body, cheats, and divorces.
In Korea, divorcing due to a husband’s affair gets him labeled a scumbag, but in America, it’s so common it’s just seen as “oh well,” a minor happening.
However, their divorce became a big issue, making noise worldwide with astronomical alimony.
MacKenzie held shares from Amazon’s founding and maintained a long marriage, so she received 25% of Jefferson’s Amazon stock as alimony.
This was 4% of total Amazon shares, amounting to $38 billion (44 trillion won).
She becomes the 15th richest in America overnight and the third richest woman in the US.
Since Jefferson Bezos once ranked No. 1 in US wealth, he set a unique record for paying the world’s largest divorce alimony.
Momentarily recalling thoughts about MacKenzie Bezos, Jaesung looked at Jefferson again and said.
“We moved from Korea—where did you come from?”
“We lived in New York and came to Seattle. How long have you been in America?”
Jefferson Bezos graduated from Princeton University in computer science, rejected offers from big companies, joined the unknown venture Fitel, and handled communication protocol programming.
He had talent for company life, promoted to technical and business development vice director after one year, then quit after two years.
He then joined Bankers Trust as a manager, promoted to youngest vice president in the company after 10 months.
Next, he moved to the new financial firm D.E. Shaw, led a technology-based trading strategy team, handled internet-based business concepts, became the youngest vice president at 26 after one year, then senior vice president a few years later, and married MacKenzie, an employee there.
Different from the start. Moving to Seattle now means he’s coming to create Amazon.com, right?
The successful Bezos suddenly quit his job, moved to Seattle, and in his garage with a few workstations, created the internet bookstore Amazon.com.
It started as a books-only online platform but quickly grew into an online logistics empire.
Come to think of it, Amazon starts next year in ’95, right? I need to get involved from the early founding and secure shares.
Dying from overwork and opening his eyes in 1994 Seattle, America, with Amazon.com founder Jefferson Bezos moving next door—it felt like heaven’s revelation to do whatever he wanted ahead.
Even if it seemed impossible for a 7th grader Jaesung to get shares in Amazon’s founding, for him who coded AI algorithms in his previous life, creating an online bookstore site was easier than eating cake lying down.
Since it’s right next door, I can visit often, show my skills. Still, I want to add my money to the startup capital—how much do I have?
A huge watermelon rolled in on its vine, and not eating Amazon shares here would be absolutely unacceptable.
After greeting the busy moving Bezos couple, Jaesung returned to his room and opened the tin box where he kept cash.
“One dollar, four dollars. Oh! There’s a 20 dollar too.”
Adding all allowance and emergency money received so far, it was exactly $37.49.
For a 7th grader who just crossed to America, it wasn’t a small amount, but it was too little—mere kid’s snot money—to add to Amazon’s startup capital.
“I need to invest in Amazon now to get cheap shares— what to do? Ask parents for money?”
He remembered the Amazon founding process in detail from Wharton Business School.
Jefferson Bezos prepared $2 million startup capital from personal assets and borrowing from acquaintances.
He borrowed $100,000 from his father for 580,000 shares at 17 cents per share, which rose nearly 600 times upon listing.
“Amazon.com at 17 cents per share—I can’t miss this!”
A huge opportunity came, but in 1994, $100,000 was enough to buy an apartment in Apgujeong Hyundai or Daechi Eunma in Korea with a bit more.
Of course, a 7th grader Jaesung couldn’t touch money to buy a Seoul apartment, but in America, especially Seattle, there was a way to earn money right away.
“Let’s see. What programs are mainly used now?”
When asking Mom to buy a computer, Jaesung also bought computer magazines.
“Now mainly using C++. Java not out yet? Late 90s was mainly web coding with JavaScript, I think.”
Reading the computer magazine, Visual Basic from Microsoft and C++ were mostly used for commercial coding.
The method was old-fashioned, but coding concepts weren’t much different, and Jaesung quickly familiarized with current programs.
“Hmm. If I suddenly code well right after getting the computer, won’t they think it’s strange?”
Prestigious private schools in America taught coding to kids, but it was mostly high school with related classes or after-school activities.
No one taught at school, and if he self-taught coding, he could arouse suspicion, but luckily, the neighbor who just moved in majored in computer science at Princeton and was a professional programmer.
“Wow! What is this? Different from my computer—looks cool.”
“It’s called a workstation. This is from Sun Microsystems, this uniquely shaped one is NeXT, and the last is Silicon Graphics design product.”
Engineer-origin Jefferson Bezos shrugged proudly showing expensive equipment to the Asian boy next door whose eyes sparkled at his workstations.
“Wow! I bought a 486DX2-66 CPU computer a few days ago, but yours look better.”
“Now personal computer performance has improved a lot, but for complex work, you need high-performance workstations. You have a lot of interest in computers.”
“Making programs with computers is cool. I bought Visual Basic but don’t know how to do it well.”
When Jaesung showed interest in coding, this time Jefferson’s eyes sparkled with joy.
“For starting, Visual Basic from Microsoft is good. It can only make Windows programs, but you chose well.”
“I want to try C++ too, but it seems difficult yet.”
“Ho~! Young friend has good eyes. Uncle was a top programmer, ask anything you’re curious about.”
Honestly, Jaesung had better coding skills than Jefferson Bezos, but no need to show real skills and arouse suspicion.
He asked basic things pretending to know nothing as a middle schooler, showed quickly understanding and moving to next steps.
“Better than expected. Is it really your first time programming?”
“I bought a computer for the first time a few days ago. Must be because Jefferson teaches well.”
“Haha. I do teach well. It’s too much progress for the first day, but since you follow well, I’ll teach a bit more.”
At first, he liked and taught the quickly absorbing Jaesung, but seeing him follow too well, he thought it a bit strange.
Jaesung stepped back appropriately before suspicion.
“Today I’ll make a program as you taught.”
“At first it’s fun, staying up all night working, but Mom scolds, so be careful.”
“I’ll do homework and only evenings before bed.”
Bezos greeted parents too after Jaesung and Jaeeun visited, and hearing Dad is a University of Washington medical professor, treated the Asian kid Jaesung even better.
In 90s America with remaining racial prejudice, there was also favorable prejudice toward high-education professionals.
Thanks to that, he didn’t mind Jaesung visiting often asking this and that, answered questions in detail.
If questions were strange, busy with startup prep Jefferson might dislike, but former startup CEO Jaesung appropriately said only things he would like, so he even waited for Jaesung to return from school quickly.
Parents also thought the Bezos couple who moved next door weren’t bad people, and liked Jaesung visiting to learn computers.
“Oh! This is sushi roll.”
“It’s not sushi roll—it’s called kimbap. Thicker than sushi roll, with ham and other ingredients instead of fish, Korean food.”
Mom sometimes made Korean food and gave to Jaesung visiting next door, and the Bezos family could eat unknown Korean food in America yet.
“This is optimal for eating while working. Pick one by one while programming.”
“Tastier than expected?”
“Nutritionally balanced, good for body too.”
MacKenzie also showed interest in kimbap, checked healthy ingredients, and fed to kids.
“Is startup prep going well?”
“Just decided the company name. Want to hear and tell me what you think?”
Already mastered Visual Basic, quickly became close while learning C++ from Jefferson.
Visiting almost daily, watched him finish garage setup and early prep for Amazon.com founding directly.
Lacking by future standards, but revolutionary business model in 1994, felt Jefferson Bezos’s outstanding foresight.
“What name? They say making company name is hardest, must have worried a lot!”
Jaesung’s heart pounded at finally witnessing the moment Amazon.com is born.
Jefferson said the company name with an expecting reaction face.
“I decided the company name as Cadabra.”
“Cadab(corpse)?”