NEW DELHI: Jeff BezosNet worth has surpassed its previous high, even after it gave up a quarter of its stake in Amazon as part of a divorce settlement last year.
Shares of the Seattle-based retailer rose 4% to a record $ 2,879 on Wednesday, raising the founder’s world leading fortune to $ 172 billion. That exceeds its previous high of $ 168 billion, set on September 4, 2018, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
His earnings, $ 57 billion this year alone, underscore a growing wealth gap in the United States during the worst economic recession since the Great Depression. Initial public offerings and buoyant equity markets have fueled mega fortunes, even as tens of millions of people have lost their jobs. The company declined to comment on its founder’s wealth.
Shares of the Seattle-based retailer rose 4% to a record $ 2,879 on Wednesday, raising the founder’s world leading fortune to $ 172 billion. That exceeds its previous high of $ 168 billion, set on September 4, 2018, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
His earnings, $ 57 billion this year alone, underscore a growing wealth gap in the United States during the worst economic recession since the Great Depression. Initial public offerings and buoyant equity markets have fueled mega fortunes, even as tens of millions of people have lost their jobs. The company declined to comment on its founder’s wealth.
Amazon has been in a tear, with the pandemic accelerating the switch from consumer to e-commerce from retail. Bezos owns 11% of the shares, which comprises most of his fortune.
Most of those with the highest wealth gains also come from the technology sector. They include Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Zoom Video Communications founder Eric Yuan.
Mackenzie Bezos, who acquired a 4% stake in Amazon after the couple split, has a net worth of $ 57 billion and rose to number 12 on the Bloomberg ranking. She recently surpassed Alice Walton and Julia Flesher Koch to become the second richest woman in the world, and only follows L’Oreal heiress Francoise Bettencourt Meyers.
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