Jeff Bezos' wealth at record $172 billion, ex-wife MacKenzie now second richest woman

Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos’ net worth has shot through the roof amid coronavirus pandemic, taking the fortune to $172 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Bezos has not only been able to hold on to the top spot, but also crossed his previous high of $167.7 billion recorded in September 2018.

Earlier in October 2019, Forbes had listed Jeff Bezos on the top of 400 wealthiest Americans, ahead of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. He was able to maintain his position even after parting 19.7 million shares of Amazon (4 per cent holding which was valued at $38 billion) to MacKenzie as a divorce settlement.

Shares of the e-commerce company surged 4.4 per cent to a record $2,878.70 on July 1, boosting his gains for the year 2020 by $56.7 billion. While several sectors are reeling due to the coronavirus pandemic, e-commerce has registered an impressive growth after movement restrictions imposed around the world.

Read: Elon Musk Calls Jeff Bezos A ‘copy Cat’ After Amazon Buys Self-driving Taxi Company

Ex-wife second richest

Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife MacKenzie has become the second richest woman in the world with a net worth of $56.9 billion, currently holding 12th position in Bloomberg’s ranking. The former couple finalised their divorce settlement in July which paved the for MacKenzie to get $38.3 billion which then took her to 22nd place on Bloomberg Billionaire Index. But she decided to donate half of her alimony amount to investor Warren Buffett’s philanthropic campaign ‘the Giving Pledge’. 

“My approach to philanthropy will continue to be thoughtful. It will take time and effort and care. But I won’t wait. And I will keep at it until the safe is empty,” wrote MacKenzie in an open letter recently,” wrote MacKenzie in an open letter.

According to the current index, Bezos is followed by Bill Gates, the principal founder of Microsoft Corporation, with a net worth of $114 billion. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg holds the third position with $90.2 billion net worth. 

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