Jeff Bezos rejects the 'dropout billionaire' myth, credits degree for Amazon's success

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, suggests aspiring entrepreneurs avoid the path taken by college dropouts like Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates. Speaking at Italian Tech Week, Bezos called these tech icons “exceptions” and stressed the importance of finishing a college degree and gaining corporate experience before launching a startup.

Bezos encouraged young people to join “best-practices” companies first. He argued that working for an established firm is essential for learning fundamentals like hiring and interviewing, which “increases your odds” of success later on.

In contrast to the dropout narrative, Gates and Zuckerberg launched their companies at 19. Bezos founded Amazon at age 30. He spent a decade in the workforce after graduating summa cum laude from Princeton University in 1986.

Jeff Bezos noted that those extra 10 years of experience actually improved the odds that Amazon would succeed.

Today, Amazon boasts a $2.64 trillion market cap.

Beyond Amazon, Jeff Bezos admitted that his academic background, specifically his leadership in Princeton’s Space Exploration chapter, laid the foundation for Blue Origin, his aerospace company. “I completed college and enjoyed the experience. I believe it has been beneficial to me,” he stated.

However, Bezos’ defense of higher education comes as younger generations increasingly challenge the return on investment for degrees. With tuition costs skyrocketing, figures like Ford CEO Jim Farley recently suggested that attending college “should be a debate,” noting the disconnect between high costs and fewer job opportunities for graduates.