I persuaded my (then) in-laws not to invest in Amazon at this stage (I was the 2nd employee at the company). They would have certainly put in $50k or so. Fortunately, they are lovely Quaker people and as far as I know have never held a grudge against me because of this (incorrect) advice.
There are some inaccuracies in this article, too. Most of the investment window described here actually took place in 1995 - Jeff had enough cash to see things through the end of 1994. He and Mackenzie did not live in a 1 bedroom apartment that they "rented when they moved to the city" - they rented a house in Bellevue and the already-converted garage was the first Amazon office. They may well have moved to 1 room apartment later, as it became clear that the company would definitely be in Seattle itself.
There are some inaccuracies in this article, too. Most of the investment window described here actually took place in 1995 - Jeff had enough cash to see things through the end of 1994. He and Mackenzie did not live in a 1 bedroom apartment that they "rented when they moved to the city" - they rented a house in Bellevue and the already-converted garage was the first Amazon office. They may well have moved to 1 room apartment later, as it became clear that the company would definitely be in Seattle itself.