Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos made $13bn in a day - here's what you need to know

22 July 2020 - 09:27
By Cebelihle Bhengu
Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, scored big on Monday as the company's share price surged.
Image: © AFP PHOTO / FILES / JOE KLAMAR Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, scored big on Monday as the company's share price surged.

Everyone is talking about the world’s richest man, Jeff Bezos after a Bloomberg report that he made $13bn (about R213.6bn) in just one day. 

This is what you need to know:

Breaking the record 

The publication reports that the Amazon CEO became the first ever person to make that much money in a day since the Bloomberg Billionaires Index was created in 2012. It said the jump was because Amazon shares surged by 7.9% on Monday, the highest since December 2018.

Amazon thriving amid pandemic

It's reported Bezos is now worth more than companies including Nike and McDonald's. The surge in Amazon’s share price also pushed Bezos’ ex-wife, MacKenzie Bezos, further up the rich list.

On Wednesday morning, MacKenzie was the 17th richest person in the world. Her net worth is $61.5bn, according to Forbes magazine

McKenzie got 25% of Amazon's stock in her divorce settlement with Jeff in 2019. CNN reported at the time that this amounted to about $38bn. 

The $200bn mark 

CNBC News reports that Bezos' net worth would have likely surpassed the $200bn mark, but this was stalled by his 2019 divorce settlement. 

From shock, inspiration to funny reactions, this is what people had to say on Twitter: