Shropshire Star

Jeff Bezos became the world’s richest man… for a few hours anyway

Forbes said the Amazon CEO’s net worth was about £69 billion when the market opened on Thursday.

Published
an Amazon sign

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos briefly became the world’s richest man, as stock in the e-commerce company hit an all-time high.

Forbes said Bezos’s net worth was about $90.6 billion (£69 billion) when the market opened on Thursday.

But it was short-lived, as by the afternoon Microsoft founder Bill Gates had reclaimed the top spot as Amazon’s stock fell below the day’s opening price.

A number of people on Twitter congratulated Bezos on the achievement, even if it was just for a few hours.

But some couldn’t help but crack a joke or two at the situation…

Even if Amazon’s stock fell as the day went on, the company has been trading at a record high – its shares hit $1,083.31 (£826) at about noon on Thursday.

According to securities filings, Bezos owns about 80 million shares, or 17%. Those shares were valued at more than $87 billion (£66 billion) at the peak. Bezos also owns The Washington Post through a holding company.

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