Photo by James Duncan Davidson from Portland /Wikimedia Commons
With a fortune topping $90 billion for the first time ever, Amazon Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos is now the richest person in the world, ahead of Microsoft founder, Bill Gates.
With the latest stock gains Bezos has made an amazing rise up the billionaires list, reflecting the growing clout and wealth of the Seattle-based company he heads.
Microsoft co-founder Gates, 61, has been adjudged the richest person since May of 2013.
Only a year ago Bezos was number five on the list of wealthiest persons.
On Thursday, the stock market opened with Amazon shares soaring more than 1% driving Bezos’ net worth to $90.9 billion, compared to Gates’ $90.7 billion.
Gates was worth $90.8 billion while Bezos was at $89.9 million, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index.
Amazon (AMZN) shares rocketed in anticipation of the company’s earning statement expected after the bell. Early on in the day they hit $1,074.68.
Bezos, 53, will hold the position as the richest person if stocks hold. .
While Gates is already a globally known philanthropist, Bezos has yet not signed the Giving Pledge, a campaign launched in 2010 by Warren Buffett and Gates as a motivation to commit the richest people to devote large amounts to philanthropic effort.
So far, more than 150 have signed up on the deal and include tech giant leaderslike Larry Ellison, Mark Zuckerberg, his wife and Elon Musk.
