Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder, is looking to offload approximately $5 billion worth of shares in the tech giant, as per a regulatory filing.

The sale is on the horizon for the world's second-richest individual, coinciding with Amazon's stock surge to an all-time high, propelling the company into the elite group of firms with a $2 trillion valuation.

The planned sale of 25 million shares was revealed in a filing after the market closed on Tuesday, a day when the stock price rose to $200.43. This represents a 30% surge from the year's start, far exceeding the 4% average gain in the Dow Jones Industrial Average index.

Upon completion, Bezos is slated to retain approximately 912 million Amazon shares, equivalent to 8.8% of the outstanding stock.

In February, he offloaded shares valued at around $8.5 billion, following an 80% stock surge in 2023.

According to the Forbes Billionaires List, Bezos, with an estimated net worth of $214.4 billion, is also the brain behind Blue Origin, a space firm that sent a six-person crew to space's outskirts in May.

AI boost

Amazon's value has soared due to the AI wave sweeping globally, with companies resorting to its subsidiary, Amazon Web Services (AWS), for computing power and cutting-edge software.

"Cloud and AI have significantly contributed to the valuation surge," remarked Wedbush tech analyst Dan Ives. "Amazon is poised to be a major AI player."

One notable client is the Australian government, where Amazon's AWS is set to construct a "top secret" cloud for $1.3 billion, catering to military and intelligence agencies.

In a statement, the Australian government mentioned that this collaboration will foster "greater interoperability and deeper cooperation with the United States," one of its key military partners.

In a bid to bolster its cloud infrastructure, Amazon declared plans in May to invest $9 billion in Singapore after previously announcing massive investments in cloud services in Malaysia and Thailand.