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Is Jeff Bezos Cuban? Amazon founder inspired by dad Mike who immigrated to US at 16

Bezos wrote, 'My dad came here from Cuba by himself when he was 16 years old and speaking no English. He adopted me when I was four years old and never looked back. I love you, Dad'

Jeff Bezos along with his brother Mark, aviator Wally Funk and the first commercial space traveler Oliver Daemen (who paid for his ticket) will be launching into space aboard his company Blue Origin's reusable launch vehicle - New Shepherd. Bezos founded Blue Origin two decades ago and on July 20 he will be making his maiden flight to the edge of the earth. A couple of weeks ago Sir Richard Branson attempted the feat in his Virgin Galactic's space vehicle but whether or not he made it to the edge of the Earth is debated. Bezos's flight to space is expected to last for 10 minutes. The trip needs to go smoothly for the company, which is banking on a future market for joyrides to space. 

Bezos's net worth is estimated at $190 million and he is one of the richest men alive at the moment. He started small, very small straight out of his parents' garage in 1994 where he found Amazon. Bezos started the company as an online bookstore and within a year expanded to a two-bedroom house. The website launched in July 1995 and the company was shipping books across the country as well as 45 countries globally within 30 days of its launch. But Bezos couldn't have done it alone. He has always credited his parents for the same, who cut him a check for several thousand dollars to start the venture. Bezos seems to be very close to his father Mike who adopted him at 4 years of age and derives all the inspiration from his dad. In related news, Bezos joked with reporters about his "last meal" just hours before launch time. 

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Is Jeff Bezos Cuban?

Amazon's founder and ex-CEO was born Jeffrey Preston Jorgensen in Albuqueque, New Mexico in 1964 to Jacklyn and Theodore Jorgensen. Jacklyn gave birth to her son when she was just 17 and Jorgensen was 19. Marital problems led to the couple divorcing and Jacklyn got to keep her son. After the divorce, Jacklyn found love with Cuban immigrant Miguel "Mike" Bezos in 1968. Mike adopted Bezos and even granted him his last name. Bezos is super close to his father and often speaks about him in interviews and also shares sweet tidbits about his relationship with him on Instagram. 

"My dad came here from Cuba by himself when he was 16 years old and speaking no English. He adopted me when I was four years old and never looked back. I love you, Dad. #HappyFathersDay" he wrote in one post. Talking about his father's early life as a Cuban immigrant in the US, Bezos tweeted, "At the Statue of Liberty, where my dad’s being honored with a Liberty Star as part of the new museum’s opening. When he came here from Cuba at 16, not only was he all alone, but he only spoke Spanish. His grit, determination, and optimism are inspiring. #StatueofLibertyMuseum" 

Bezos once tweeted a video that commends his father Mike's bravery. In the video, Bezos said he has a "hard time even imagining" what he would do for survival in a totally new country. He further revealed Mike came to America while Fidel Castro was still reigning Cuba and Mike's parents "felt like they had to, to protect him.” Speaking about the conditions that he came to the US in, Mike said he only carried three pairs of pants, three shirts, three pairs of underwear, and one pair of shoes and a coat. “Out of those cleaning rags and knitting materials, she made — with the help of my sister — she made a coat. In her mind, I needed a heavy coat," he said. 

Mike stayed at Camp Matecumbe, a refugee camp in Florida for three weeks. He attended school in Wilmington, Delaware and was later sent to Albuquerque to pursue a college education. That is where he met Jacklyn and her son Jeff. “It is truly unbelievable. I look back on my life and I had lived the American Dream 30 years ago. It is really just out of this world," Mike said in the video. Bezos leaves no chance to shower his dad with niceties and the American is grateful that his father landed in America and persevered. "My dad came here from Cuba all by himself without speaking English when he was 16 years old, and has been kicking ass ever since. Thank you for all the love and heart, Dad!" he wrote in another tweet in 2018.