Amazon founder and Executive Chairman Jeff Bezos has disclosed plans to sell up to 15 million Amazon shares, valued at approximately $4.07 billion, according to a regulatory filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The sale is being carried out under a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, a pre-arranged program that allows company insiders to sell shares at predetermined times to avoid concerns about insider trading.

The announcement came just one day after Amazon achieved a major milestone by surpassing a $3 trillion market capitalization for the first time. Investor enthusiasm had been fueled by stronger-than-expected second-quarter earnings, particularly from Amazon Web Services (AWS), whose revenue grew 37% year over year to $42.2 billion, significantly exceeding analysts' expectations.

Following news of Bezos' planned sale, Amazon shares fell by around 2% in early trading. Analysts noted that such reactions are common when high-profile executives announce large stock sales, even when those sales are scheduled in advance. The filing also revealed that Bezos donated more than 220,000 Amazon shares to nonprofit organizations earlier this year.

Despite the planned sale, Bezos will remain Amazon's largest individual shareholder, retaining hundreds of millions of shares after the transaction. Market analysts generally view the sale as part of routine financial planning rather than a sign of weakening confidence in Amazon's long-term prospects.