You would never guess in a million,
or should we say 27 billion years
that this bicycle repairman
is the long lost biological father of Jeff Bezos,
founder of Amazon.com,
the man who changed the way we shop.
Look at 69-year-old Ted Jorgensen
side-by-side with Bezos.
They even share the same laugh.
(Jeff laughing)
(Ted laughing)
Until recently, Jorgensen had never even heard of Amazon.
He doesn't even use a computer.
Jorgensen says he still remembers
the very last time he saw his son.
I was working in a Walmart,
and I remember them comin' to visit me for some reason.
And it was cold, and he had his little winter coat on,
and I just remember him walkin' down the aisle
comin' to see me.
Jeff Bezos' mother Jackie and Jorgensen
were teenagers when they got married in 1963.
Back then, Jorgensen was a poor circus performer.
Their son Jeff was born in 1964.
After the marriage broke up, Jorgensen gave up custody.
Jackie remarried Mike Bezos,
who adopted Jeff and raised him as his own.
Have you ever regretted that decision?
Big mistake.
But at the time, I thought it was the best.
Jorgensen opened a bike shop
and toiled away in obscurity for the next 40 years.
Ted Jorgensen working in his bike shop
here in Phoenix, Arizona
when a biographer writing the book about Jeff Bezos
came in with news that would change Ted's life forever.
When the writer came in and told you
that your son was Jeff Bezos,
what was your reaction?
He asked me if I knew who Jeff Bezos was.
And what did you say?
I said, "No,
"the name kinda sounds familiar, but I don't know him."
Jorgensen lives in a modest house
in a middle class Phoenix suburb,
a far cry from Bezos's lakefront mansion in Seattle.
Forbes magazine lists Bezos as America's 12th richest man,
worth an estimated 27 billion dollars.
27 billion, you know, with a B?
Jorgensen's second wife of 26 years, Linda,
says because Bezos is so rich and powerful,
contacting him is difficult.
Because of who Jeff is, I think it's made an obstacle
that wouldn't have been there
had he been a garbage collector.
Bezos has made only one comment
about his biological father.
"I've never met him.
"The only time I ever think about it
"is when a doctor asks me to fill out a form."
Jorgensen is battling emphysema.
He says he wants to see his son
one last time before he dies.
He says he doesn't want a penny from his son,
and just wants to apologize for what he calls
the biggest mistake of his life.
What would you say to him?
I would just like to tell him
I used to change your diapers, you know? (laughs)
And just see him, shake his hand,
and tell him he's really done a good job with his life.
(pensive music)