Jeff Bezos' mysterious Amazon share purchase leaves market guessing

Bezos bought a single share of Amazon.com Inc. for $114.77, marking the first time he has purchased Amazon stock since at least 2002.

Bezos, renowned for his massive stock sell-offs to fund his various ventures, from Blue Origin to his extravagant superyacht, Koru, has rarely been seen buying additional shares. After Amazon's initial public offering in 1997, Bezos received no further stock as compensation and opted for a modest salary.

Currently, he holds approximately 10% of the company, accounting for the majority of his $148 billion fortune, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Since the May 25 purchase, the value per share has risen. As Amazon shares traded at $124 on Friday, the rise in share price has increased Bezos' wealth. However, the intentions behind this particular gain remain unknown, leading to speculation and theories among analysts and social media users.

Some proposed humorous explanations, suggesting Bezos accidentally clicked the buy button or planned to give the physical certificate as a gift. Mark Shmulik, an analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein, jokingly stated that Bezos "needed one more share to take back control."

In reality, Bezos owns 9.7% of Amazon's stock and retains voting control over the 2.9% stake owned by his ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott.