Amazon founder Jeff Bezos briefly snagged the crown of 鈥渞ichest person in the world鈥� on Thursday from Bill Gates, in on the planet.
Bezos鈥� net worth spiked to US$90.5 billion Thursday morning, putting him just ahead of the Microsoft founder鈥檚 $90-billion fortune. Bezos鈥� fortune has surged in the past four months, amid a 24 per cent increase in Amazon stocks. Bezos holds a 17 per cent share in the tech firm, which has been expanding into cloud computing, artificial intelligence, online video and grocery sales. Bezos also owns the space firm Blue Origin, as well as the Washington Post.
Bill Gates regained his list-topping spot on Thursday afternoon, regaining the 鈥渞ichest person in the world鈥� title that he鈥檚 held in 18 of the past 22 annual rankings.
Gates鈥� net worth was listed at $89.8 billion on Thursday afternoon, with Bezos trailing at $89.2 billion and Spain鈥檚 Amacio Ortega in third, at $83.5 billion.
David Thomson, chairman of Thomson Reuters, is the wealthiest Canadian and No. 29 on Forbes鈥� worldwide list. He boasts a fortune of approximately $27.7 billion.
