At the market’s close at 4 p.m. eastern Thursday, Jeff Bezos’ net worth totaled roughly $83.5 billion.
Roughly 30 minutes later, after Amazon reported earnings that beat expectations in part thanks to Prime Day, the e-commerce CEO’s net worth soared by about $6.5 billion to $90 billion, based on data from the Bloomberg Billionaire Index. Amazon’s stock rose more than 8% to $1,055 per share.
That puts Bezos within striking distance of becoming the world’s richest person once again. At the market’s close Thursday, Microsoft founder Bill Gates still held the title, with a net worth of about $88 billion based on the index. It’s unclear if Gates has made significant gains in his net worth since then — meaning Bezos may have already assumed the title.
The Amazon billionaire however has previously held the title of the world’s richest — albeit, briefly. Investor optimism leading up to the company’s second quarter earnings report in July pushed Bezos’ net worth above $90 billion. The company’s earnings however missed expectations, pushing Bezos back down to second place, as his net worth is largely tied to his 16.6% stake in Amazon.
Gates has also made it somewhat easier for Bezos to take the title this year: he donated 5% of his fortune, or about $4.6 billion to charity in August.