Jeff Bezos - Amazon's High Flyer

In a career and life filled with memorable moments, today provided one of the glittering ones for Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) founder and chief executive, Jeff Bezos. Shares of his company, now considered a bellwether and one of the top online retailers, hit an all-time high of $136.08.

Not bad for a man once considered (and in some cases, still considered) too wild and profligate to lead a successful company. Amazon, after spending its formative years hemorrhaging profitability and encouraging skepticism, finally vaulted into the black earlier this decade. The company and its investors have never looked back since.

Considering his background, it’s no wonder Bezos reached the top of the heap. Ever inquisitive, brainy and ambitious, a family legend has it that as an infant he attempted to disassemble his crib with a screwdriver. That remarkable intensity served him well in his academic career – Bezos got in to Princeton University and excelled there, graduating summa cum laude in his class with a degree in computer science and electrical engineering.

He spent the first part of his career on Wall Street, rising through the ranks to become a vice-president at Bankers Trust. His last pre-Amazon job was in computer science for D.E. Shaw & Co. The combination of science and finance provided fertile ground for the restless Bezos. He drafted the business plan for Amazon during a cross-country drive from the east coast to Seattle. With energy to spare, he founded Amazon in 1994. The company began in his garage – again, according to legend, Bezos did so simply to say that AMZN started life in that most humble of domestic spaces.

With energy bordering on the manic, Bezos continues to act like a restless and determined entrepreneur. Amazon is forever branching into and departing new segments of retail, and is determined to innovate constantly – witness the Kindle electronic reader, for example.

Bezos is affable and charming, although it’s said that as a CEO he’s a micromanager, poring over details such as his quotes for Amazon’s many press releases. But if the company’s results and market power are any indication, this combination of drive and charm is a fine recipe for success.

Amazon’s stock has luster at the moment; time will tell if it will fly even higher. But if it doesn’t, that won’t be due to its chief executive’s energy, determination and persnickety nature. The unflagging Bezos has grown AMZN into a mighty retailing powerhouse – time will tell if he can continue to pilot it to greater heights.