https://www.forbes.com/sites/britta...eff-bezos-wreak-havoc-on-amazon/#4451e9a8494b January 13, 2019 By: Brittain Ladd MacKenzie's Revenge: Can The Soon-To-Be Former Wife Of Jeff Bezos Wreak Havoc On Amazon? Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, the world's most valuable company, recently announced that he and his wife of 25-years, MacKenzie Bezos, are getting divorced. As the world's richest man and one of the largest shareholders in Amazon, divorce attorneys and Wall Street analysts have begun outlining what the divorce could mean in terms of splitting Jeff Bezos' assets. Amazon's market cap is roughly $784 billion. It has around 477 million shares outstanding and Bezos owns nearly 79 million of those shares or 16%. Those shares of Amazon stock, as well as his other assets, put his net worth at around $137 billion. The divorce could drastically reduce Jeff Bezos' stake in Amazon and open the door for MacKenzie Bezos to become one of its largest shareholders, with new leverage at the company, according to divorce lawyers and corporate governance experts. Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos live in Washington State. Washington is a community property state which means assets accrued during the marriage must be split equally in a divorce. Amazon was founded and launched after Jeff and MacKenzie were married. Therefore, Jeff Bezos' net-worth could be divided 50-50 between the couple. If assets are indeed split equally, MacKenzie Bezos could find herself controlling 8% of Amazon's stock. Hell Hath No Fury Readers of my articles on Forbes have reached out to me requesting that I write an article on the topic of the Bezos divorce. Specifically, I have been asked to identify if there is any way possible for MacKenzie Bezos to wreak havoc on Amazon. In order to fulfill the request from readers, I came up with possible scenarios that would have the biggest impact on Amazon. In turn, I spoke with several financial and Wall Street analysts to confirm for me if any of the scenarios I identified are plausible. First, the scenarios: MacKenzie conspires with Walmart to leverage her shares to acquire Amazon. (Google, Facebook and Microsoft are also companies MacKenzie could conspire with). Mackenzie sells her shares as a "block trade" to Walmart thus allowing a hand-picked person from Walmart to secure a seat on the Board of Directors, and gain inside access to the inner workings of Amazon. MacKenzie retains her shares and becomes an advocate for policies that push Amazon to pay associates higher wages and offer better benefits leading to reduced profits for the company. Jeff Bezos steps down as CEO of Amazon to pursue other interests due to negative publicity. (I won't be surprised if Bezos becomes a candidate for president in time for the 2024 election. Bezos stepping down to travel around the U.S. on a "Listening Tour" is something to watch for.) The discussions with the analysts proved interesting as several stated the scenarios I outlined were similar to discussions taking place on Wall Street. For example, the idea of Walmart accumulating shares in Amazon or MacKenzie becoming an activist shareholder. Although I was complimented by the analysts I spoke with for being very "Machiavellian" in my thinking, each analyst came to the same conclusion regarding the scenarios I identified: Controlling 8% of Amazon's shares isn't enough to allow MacKenzie to conspire with Walmart or any other retailer/company to acquire Amazon. Walmart could choose to invest in Amazon stock. Theoretically, it's possible for Walmart to accumulate an 8% stake in Amazon but doing so would not guarantee Walmart would be able to secure a position on the Board of Directors. (The idea of a negotiated block trade between MacKenzie and Walmart, or another company, was found to be quite interesting by the analysts I spoke with). MacKenzie leveraging her shares to become the "Conscience of Amazon" (my term) is possible and plausible. Jeff Bezos stepping down as CEO and running for president, very possible and plausible. My preference and hope is for Jeff and MacKenzie to amicably and quietly settle the divorce so each can move on to the next chapter of their lives. MacKenzie Bezos is a woman who has always conducted herself with a tremendous amount of grace and class. Amazon is as much her creation as it is Jeff Bezos. I do not envision MacKenzie doing anything other than what she has always done - exude confidence and be a professional. One final comment: I believe an unbound MacKenzie Bezos is going to blossom and move into the spotlight. Conclusion On the surface, it appears that Jeff Bezos has surrounded himself with a team of highly qualified executives. In the event Bezos chooses to step down as CEO, Amazon will continue on its trajectory of growth. In fact, I believe Bezos leaving Amazon can accelerate growth even more. The challenge for Bezos is that as more of his text messages and other information related to his personal life are revealed, Amazon's Board of Directors will have no choice but to evaluate the reputational risk to Amazon. Corporations detest distractions and when the CEO becomes a bigger story than the company and its brand, (especially for all the wrong reasons) change is often the best course of action to take. Bezos stepping down as CEO to focus on other interests is not beyond the realm of possibility. As for Bezos becoming president in 2024, can it happen? Yes, I believe it can.