Bill Gates was dethroned as the world’s wealthiest person, at least for a few hours, momentarily replaced by short-reigning Jeff
Bezos.
With a $1.3 billion boost from Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN)’s 1.6-percent stock pop, CEO Bezos surged to a value of $90.9 billion
Thursday. The 53-year-old surpassed Gates by more than $500 million.
Bezos’ new net worth, as calculated by Forbes,
represents a 20-percent increase in value since he was appraised at $72.8 billion in March, when he ranked No. 3 on Forbes’
list.
As just the seventh person in the 30-year history of Forbes’ wealth tracking to claim the “world’s richest person” title, he
stands alongside Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) co-founder Gates and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:
BRK-A) (NYSE: BRK-B) CEO Warren Buffett as the only Americans to top the list.
It took him 19 years to rise from his first appearance on the Forbes 400, back when he had a humble $1.6 billion a year after
Amazon went public. The company has risen
in value by 61,127 percent, or $1,056, since then, and Bezos holds a 17-percent stake.
A Timeline
Here’s a breakdown of his
professional journey:
- 1986: Graduated from Princeton University with Bachelor of Science degrees in electrical engineering and computer science.
Joined startup Fitel and built a network for international trade.
- 1988: Joined Bankers Trust as a product manager.
- 1990: Joined hedge fund D.E. Shaw & Co., where he rose to senior vice president.
- 1994: Founded Amazon in a Seattle garage as an online bookseller.
- 2000: Founded Blue
Origin for commercial space travel.
- 2013: Founded his personal investment firm, Nash Holdings, LLC, and purchased the Washington Post.
- 2015: Successfully launched and landed Blue Origin’s space vehicle.
- 2016: Made his Hollywood debut in “Star Trek Beyond.”
The business magnate also made a number of notable investments through Bezos Expeditions, including in Airbnb, Uber, Google
(Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ:
GOOGL)), Twitter Inc (NYSE: TWTR) and Business Insider.
Related Links:
Jeff Bezos Isn’t Afraid Of
Failing
The Ongoing Saga
Between Amazon, Bezos And Trump
Jeff Bezos: Champion Of The
Poor?
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