Despite all that the world is going through right now, the rich seem to be getting richer. Amid the global coronavirus pandemic and economies taking a dangerous hit, things are only looking upwards for Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Currently, the world’s richest person, Jeff Bezos just became the first person to be worth $200 billion.
On Wednesday, the billionaire’s Amazon stock edged up to 2% which increased his Bezos’ net worth by $4.9 billion. This ultimately made the 56-year-old the world’s first-ever person to cross the 200 billion mark. According to Forbes, Jeff Bezos’ exact net worth on Wednesday is a staggering $204.6 billion which is $90 billion more than the world’s second-richest person Bill Gates. Bill Gates’s current net worth is $116.1 billion.
Jeff Bezos’ Amazon Stock Rise during COVID-19
The coronavirus pandemic has forced consumers to change their purchasing habits which ultimately
resulted in a stock rise for Amazon by nearly 80%. Ultimately, Jeff Bezos’ net worth which was at $115 billion on January 1 has now scaled up exponentially. Bezos who has roughly 11% stake in Amazon, also owns the Washington Post, an aerospace company called Blue Origin, and has other private investments.
The news has shaken the business world who see this as a milestone in history while others point it as a reflection of unequal wealth distribution in society. It is important to mention that Jeff Bezos would have been even wealthier today had he not gone through the most expensive divorce settlement in history last year. During his split from ex-wife MacKenzie Scott, the billionaire gave her 25% of his Amazon stake which is now worth $63 billion. Scott is currently the world’s 14th richest person and the second richest woman behind L’Oréal heiress Françoise Bettencourt Meyers.
Apart from Jeff Bezos touching new heights, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg also became a centibillionaire on Tuesday. After adding $9.4 billion to his fortune in two days, the Facebook CEO’s net worth currently stands at a whopping $109.1 billion.
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