Black Friday pushes Jeff Bezos’ net worth to $100 billion
26th November 2017
Being the richest man in the world wasn’t enough.
After Amazon shares climbed on Black Friday, founder and CEO Jeff Bezos saw his net worth rise to $100.3 billion, according to Bloomberg estimates.
Amazon’s stock has soared this year and Bezos has benefited to the tune of $32.6 billion. Yes, that’s the amount he has earned in 2017 alone.
So what’s he going to do with all that money?
Bezos wants suggestions. Over the summer, he tweeted a “request for ideas.” He said he wants his “philanthropic activity to be helping people in the here and now- short term- at the intersection of urgent need and lasting impact.”
It isn’t the first time someone reached the unfathomable 12-figure milestone. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates hit the mark in 1999.
Gates has since started The Giving Pledge alongside investor Warren Buffett, a promise to give away at least half of his fortune to charitable endeavors. He has also launched the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which aims to reduce poverty globally.
Bezos eclipsed Gates to become the world’s richest person last month. Buffett is presently estimated to be the third-richest at $78.9 billion.
Amazon has seen its stock rise this year as it continues to convince investors that it will carve out an even bigger lead in e-commerce. The company has also seen success in some of its hardware devices like voice-assistant Alexa.
Amazon has additionally seen growth in its cloud services business, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and is making new bets in a range of other verticals. Among them is a bet on groceries, with its purchase of Whole Foods earlier this year.
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Source: Techrunch