Jeff Bezos’ wealth hits a new high of $172 billion as Amazon stock soars, making him richer than he was before his divorce settlement
Jeff Bezos’s fortune has soared to $171.6billion, breaking his previous wealth record prior to his divorce.
The billionaire’s net worth broke its previous peak on Wednesday as Amazon’s stock surged 4.4 percent to a record $2,878 value per share, boosting his fortune.
Bezos, who is the richest man in the world, saw his fortune rise even after he relinquished a quarter of his stake in Amazon as a part of his divorce settlement with ex-wife Mackenzie Bezos last year. She has become the world’s second-richest woman.
Tuesday’s record beats his previous high of $167.7billion, which was set on September 4, 2018, before his divorce, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
This year alone Bezos has seen his fortune increase by $56.7billion.
Amazon hasn’t commented on the founder’s surge in wealth.
This week following complaints about ending pandemic hazard pay, Amazon said it will spend about $500million to give one-time $500 bonuses to most front-line workers.
Amazon has only seen its shares skyrocket in the pandemic as stay-at-home orders and lockdowns have pushed consumers to flock to e-commerce shopping instead of brick-and-mortar retail.
Bezos owns 11 percent of Amazon stock, which comprises a bulk of his fortune.
Other tech CEOs have seen their wealth boom even amid the pandemic that has led millions to file for unemployment. In the week ending June 20 1.48million people filed for unemployment, down 1.54million from the week before.
Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk added $25.8billion to his fortune since January 1.
Zoom Video Communications Inc Founder Eric Yuan saw his wealth practically quadruple to $131.1billion.
Mackenzie Bezos acquired a four percent take in Amazon following the divorce. She has a net worth of $56.9billion and climbed to No. 12 in Bloomberg’s ranking of wealthiest people.
She’s now the second-wealthiest woman in the world, trailing behind L’Oreal heiress Francoise Bettencourt Meyers.
The collective net worth of the world’s 500 richest people now stands at $5.93 trillion, compared with $5.91 trillion at the beginning of the year, according to Bloomberg.
Source: DailyMail
