Amazon.com founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos saw his net worth climb above $100 billion Friday as shares in his online retail giant surged on optimism over holiday sales.
Bezos’ ascent is the first time anyone has crossed the $100 billion threshold since Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates earned it in 1999, according to Bloomberg, whose Billionaire’s Index follows the real-time net worth of the world’s 500 wealthiest people.
Amazon shares were up 2.5 percent to $1,186 at Friday’s 1 p.m. market close. Stock exchanges closed early Friday because of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Amazon shares are up more than 58 percent this year, consequently boosting Bezos’s wealth with it.
(c) 2017, The Washington Post · Thomas Heath
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