Jeff Bezos Breaks His Own Record For Wealthiest Person In The World

While unemployment continues to rise and the economy remains in partial ruins as a result of the pandemic, Amazon’s head honcho Jeff Bezos has no worries as he has now broken his own record for the world’s wealthiest person, according to Bloomberg Billionaire Index.

With a net worth of nearly $172 billion, Bezos has now set a new record for the world’s richest person. This is largely due to Amazon seeing a huge increase in online shopping during the coronavirus outbreak, which has forced people indoors and many brick-and-mortar stores to close. Considering that much of Bezos’s wealth stems directly from Amazon, with him owning roughly 57 million shares in the company, it’s no surprise that the 56-year-old surpassed his previous wealth record of $168 billion that he reached prior to his divorce from his wife of 25 years, MacKenzie. She also secured a pretty impressive bag in the divorce, receiving 25% of the couple’s Amazon (AMZN) stock, which is roughly a 4% stake in the company. She’s now worth $57 billion, which also sets a new record for herself, placing her at the 12th richest person in the world. According to Bloomberg’s tallies, her wealth increased by nearly $20 billion.

Despite his massive bank account, Bezos has continuously come under fire for failing to pay his employees a fair wage, as well as failing to make their safety a priority. In May, the company eliminated a $2 hourly wage bump and double overtime pay for frontline workers. However, in an effort to rectify the situation and appease fed up employees, Amazon unveiled a $500 million “Thank You bonus” that will go towards frontline workers who were employed with the company throughout the month of June.