Being the richest man in the world wasn’t enough.
After Amazon shares climbed on Black Friday, founder and CEO Jeff Bezos saw his net worth rise to $100.3 billion, according to Bloomberg estimates.
Amazon’s stock has soared this year and Bezos has benefited to the tune of $32.6 billion. Yes, that’s the amount he has earned in 2017 alone.
So what’s he going to do with all that money?
Bezos wants suggestions. Over the summer, he tweeted a “request for ideas.” He said he wants his “philanthropic activity to be helping people in the here and now- short term- at the intersection of urgent need and lasting impact.”
It isn’t the first time someone reached the unfathomable 12-figure milestone. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates hit the mark in 1999.
Gates has since started The Giving Pledge alongside investor Warren Buffett, a promise to give away at least half of his fortune to charitable endeavors. He has also launched the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which aims to reduce poverty globally.
Bezos eclipsed Gates to become the world’s richest person last month. Buffett is presently estimated to be the third-richest at $78.9 billion.
Amazon has seen its stock rise this year as it continues to convince investors that it will carve out an even bigger lead in e-commerce. The company has also seen success in some of its hardware devices like voice-assistant Alexa.
Amazon has additionally seen growth in its cloud services business, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and is making new bets in a range of other verticals. Among them is a bet on groceries, with its purchase of Whole Foods earlier this year.
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Source: Techrunch