Washington DC: The world’s richest person, Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, became even wealthier, crossing a new milestone.
With e-commerce giant Amazon’s stock edging up 2 per cent on Thursday, Bezos’ net worth rose by $4.9 billion, making the 56-year-old the world’s first-ever person to amass a $200 billion-plus fortune.
This new milestone was previously unseen in nearly four decades, according to a Forbes report.
Bezos is now worth $204.6 billion — nearly $90 billion more than the world’s second-richest person, Bill Gates, who’s currently worth $116.1 billion.
Around $82 billion of Bezos’ net worth was added this year after e-commerce and contactless purchasing got a push during the pandemic.
Bezos’ roughly 11 per cent stake in Amazon makes up more than 90 per cent of his fortune. He also owns the Washington Post, aerospace company Blue Origin and other private investments.
Reportedly, Bezos would be even richer had he not gone through the “most expensive” divorce settlement in history last year.
