Before Amazon changed how the world shops, Jeff Bezoshad a very different morning routine — and it didn't involve green juice or high-protein smoothies.
Speaking at Summit 2017 in Los Angeles , Bezos recalled the years before Amazon's launch when he would routinely eat an entire can of Pillsbury biscuits for breakfast, sometimes adding butter on top.
"I had never read a nutrition label in my life," Bezos admitted during the interview, sitting alongside his brother, Mark Bezos . "I ate what tasted good to me."
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At the time of the interview, Bezos was already in great shape — but he was reflecting back on the early 1990s, before Amazon was even an idea. For a few years, he stuck to the same breakfast ritual without ever thinking twice.
Then came MacKenzie Scott .
After they married, she watched him go through the same routine every morning for about three months. One day, she finally said, "Do you know what's in that?"
They ended up reading the ingredients together and had a long discussion about it. After that conversation, Bezos stopped eating the biscuits. Mark joked during the interview that he was just glad Jeff survived it.
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At the time, nutrition wasn't exactly top of mind. Bezos's focus was speed, efficiency, and saving brainpower for bigger challenges — the same no-frills mentality that would soon drive Amazon's early, relentless expansion.
As Amazon scaled up, so did Bezos's appetite for the unfamiliar — literally and figuratively.
In a story reported by GeekWire , detailing an excerpt from D Magazine's profile ofMatt Rutledge , Bezos met with Woot founder Rutledge for breakfast after Amazon acquired Woot for $110 million in 2010. When it came time to order, Bezos chose Mediterranean octopus.
When Rutledge asked why Amazon had bought Woot, Bezos reportedly answered:
"You're the octopus that I'm having for breakfast. When I look at the menu, you're the thing I don't understand, the thing I've never had. I must have the breakfast octopus."
The comment wasn't just colorful — it revealed Bezos's philosophy about business: seek out what you don't yet understand, embrace what others might find odd, and invest where others hesitate.
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That same thinking helped Amazon move beyond books and into everything from cloud computing to groceries, creating a company that would eventually touch almost every corner of modern life.
Bezos's willingness to explore unfamiliar territory, take calculated risks, and bet long-term helped him become the richest man in the world for several years. Today, he remains one of the wealthiest and most influential figures in business.
His personal life reflects that same evolution.
Gone are the biscuit breakfasts. In his 60s, Bezos works out nearly every day with celebrity trainer Wes Okerson , focusing on strength training, low-impact cardio, and outdoor sports like paddleboarding. His body fat percentage is reportedly around 12% to 14%, and his fiancée,Lauren Sanchez , often jokes that he's a "monster" in the gym.
From biscuits to breakfast octopus to barbells, Bezos's journey shows that transformation — in life and in business — often starts by paying attention to what you once ignored.
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This article Billionaire Jeff Bezos Ate a Can of Pillsbury Biscuits Every Morning Until His Wife Stepped In — 'I Had Never Read a Nutrition Label in My Life' originally appeared on Benzinga.com
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