Business / How does Jeff Bezos' $205 bn net worth compare with the world's richest people

Washington: Jeff Bezos just became the first person on earth to be worth more than $200 billion.

Bezos isn’t just the wealthiest man but the only person to have that amount of money in modern history. His wealth is nearly double that of the world’s second-richest person and Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

56-year old Bezos is the founder, CEO, and president of Amazon — a multinational company that focuses on a range of businesses from e-commerce to cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

Bezos got wealthier, as the shares of Amazon rose 2% on Wednesday afternoon, pushing his net worth to a record high. He was worth $204 billion, as of 1:50 p.m. EDT

He owns an 11.1% stake in the $1.68 trillion company. A week ago, he sold a billion Amazon shares for $3.1 billion. His fortune is the highest wealth ever recorded by Forbes since they started tracking billionaires.

Bezos would have achieved this milestone much earlier had he not gone through an expensive divorce. As part of his divorce settlement, he transferred a quarter of his Amazon’s share to his ex-wife Mackenzie Scott. She now owns 3.8% of the company and is the richest woman in the world.

Amazon’s share price has surged by 80% since the beginning of the year. People are shopping online now more than ever — filling the deep pockets of both Amazon and Bezos.

According to Forbes, Bezos has earned $86 billion of his wealth in the last 12 months. He was worth $114 billion until September last year. Experts say Bezos is on his path to become the world’s first trillionaire by 2026.