The secret to success, according to richest man in the world Jeff Bezos

Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos knew he'd never regret trying to set up an internet-based bookstore. Photo / AP

The richest man in the world has shared his secrets to success.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos candidly discussed his fame and fortune during an on-stage interview, conducted by his younger brother Mark against a backdrop of old family photos.

Among the revelations attributed by Bezos building his almost US$95 billion ($137b) worth were meeting the right partner, never multitasking and approaching problems with a "child-like curiosity", according to the Daily Mail.

Bezos made the comments at the Summit Series, an invite-only event held in Los Angeles for leaders across multiple fields, from business to the arts.

High on his list of priorities was his resourceful wife, whom he met after a series of blind dates organised by friends, according to reports in Tech Crunch.

The Blue Origin founder says he knew he'd found the one in MacKenzie, and the pair have now been married for 24 years.

"I wanted someone who could get me out of a third-world prison," he said at the Summit Series.

Also key to Bezos' philosophy is avoiding multi-tasking, preferring to concentrate on one job at a time until it is complete instead of constantly switching back and forth.

"When I have dinner with friends or family, I like to be doing whatever I'm doing," he added.

"I don't like to multi-task. If I'm reading my email I want to be reading my email."

He said people often believe you have to be a "domain expert" to find solutions to problems.

"But the danger is that once you're a domain expert, you can be trapped by that knowledge," said Bezos.

He recommends approaching things with childlike curiosity.

During the intimate conversation, Bezos also discussed his early life and the valuable lessons that he learned.

Bezos spent his summers from age 4 to 16 on an isolated farm owned by his grandfather.

It was there he says that he learned the value of self-reliance and surviving tough times.

He also espoused the value of taking risks and not having regrets in life.

Bezos cited his own decision to quit his profitable job working in finance software engineering on Wall Street to start the internet book store that would become Amazon.

He said: "I knew that when I was 80, I was not going to regret having tried this.

"I was not going to regret trying to participate in this thing called the internet that I thought was going to be a really big deal. I knew that if I failed, I wouldn't regret that.

"But I knew the one thing I might regret is not ever having tried. I knew that that would haunt me every day."

Jeff Bezos' guide to life

Never multi-task: Key to Bezos' philosophy is avoiding multi-tasking, preferring to concentrate on one job at a time until it is complete instead of constantly switching back and forth.

Be resourceful and resilient: Bezos spent his summers from age 4 to 16 on an isolated farm owned by his grandfather, where he says he learned the value of self-reliance and surviving tough times.

Meet the right partner: The Amazon boss says he knew his wife of 24 years was the one because of her resourcefulness.

Take risks and don't have regrets: Bezos cited his own decision to quit his profitable job working in finance software engineering on Wall Street to start the internet book store that would become Amazon.

Approach problems with "child-like curiosity": People often believe you have to be a "domain expert" to find solutions to problems. "But the danger is that once you're a domain expert, you can be trapped by that knowledge," said Bezos. He recommends approaching things with childlike curiosity.