Amazon founder/CEO, Jeff Bezos is the world's richest person, overtaking Bill Gates to become the world's richest person, worth $90.7bn (£69bn). A recent surge in Amazon shares on Thursday means Mr Bezos's wealth has now eclipsed the Microsoft co-founder by $700m, according to Forbes and Bloomberg.
Amazon's share price has jumped by more than $15 a share overnight, and was recently trading near that level, while Microsoft is down slightly.
If the stocks hold up today, Bezos — who owns around 80 million shares of Amazon — will add more than $800 million to his fortune. That would put him past Gates, assuming the valuations of their non-stock holdings haven't changed.
Mr Bezos owns about 17 percent of Seattle-based Amazon, which has surged 40 percent this year through Wednesday, helping to add $24.5 billion to his net worth. He started 2017 as the world’s fourth-wealthiest person and has since surpassed Buffett and Inditex SA founder Amancio Ortega, 81, who ranks third with $82.7 billion.
