Amazon Boss Jeff Bezos' Wealth Has Risen To $150 Billion Since Beginning Of Pandemic

Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos' wealth has exploded to $150 billion - a net worth increase of almost $35 billion since the start of the year.

In March, the company said had a surge in demand, hiring 175,000 new employees in order to fulfil as many orders as possible, with the company's share price increasing to $2,483 on Friday.

The biggest shareholder of the firm is Bezos, who has more than 55 million shares - making him fairly well off.

He has hit the $150 billion milestone before, back in July 2018, making him not only the richest person in the world, but modern history too.

The business software comparison site used data collected from the last five years of the Forbes Rich List to calculate the yearly wealth growth rate of the world's richest billionaires.

Applying this annual growth rate over the coming years, the study concluded that Bezos - who is estimated to be worth over $140bn (£112bn) - could become the world's first trillionaire in 2026, at which point he will be 62.

The research also forecasts that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg could become the youngest trillionaire in the world 10 years later in 2036, when he will be 51 years old.

Amazon - and therefore Bezos - is doing particularly well at the moment, with the demand for online shopping at an all-time high due to the fact that physical shopping isn't really a thing right now.

The 56-year-old has contributed a portion of his burgeoning wealth to help those in need during the pandemic though. Last month, he donated $100 million (£80m) to US food banks - which are struggling to feed a growing number of Americans who have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus crisis.