Just how wealthy is Jeff Bezos?

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The Amazon co-founder is now estimated to be worth more than the combined GDP of Croatia, Estonia, Iceland and Cambodia.

The nominal GDP of Croatia stands at $61 billion, Estonia at $30 billion, Iceland at $29 billion and that of Cambodia at $24 billion, according to the data from the International Monetary Fund.

If we compare his net worth with the GDP of Indian states, the 54-year old billionaire is richer than the most states barring Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka, which have a combined GDP of Rs 70.9 lakh crore.

According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Bezos' fortune crossed the $150 billion (about Rs 10 lakh crore) mark on Monday. That’s $55 billion richer than Bill Gates, at number two.

Bezos' fortune has more than doubled over the past two years as Amazon’s stock has soared. Amazon shares hit an intraday all-time high of $1,841.95, and the company's market value now tops $890 billion on Monday, a day that coincided with the start of the company’s annual Prime Day sale.

As of date, Bezos' net worth stands at $149.7 billion, according to Forbes Real Time Rankings.

Bezos became the richest man a year ago. Then in January, he became the richest man “ever” after his fortune reached $104 billion – topping Bill Gates’ all-time high of just above $100 billion in 1999.

Bezos, born the son of a teen mom, was valedictorian of his high school class. He went to Princeton and started a career in finance in New York City. But at age 30, Bezos walked away from his job to launch Amazon.

“After much consideration, I took the less safe path to follow my passion, and I’m proud of that choice,” the entrepreneur said in his 2010 graduation speech at Princeton.

Bezos is also the founder of aerospace company Blue Origin, into which he plans to invest much of his Amazon money.

First Published:Jul 17, 2018 1:06 PM IST