Forbes: Amazon founder Bezos is richest American for 3rd year in a row
New York, Sep 8 (efe-epa).- Jeff Bezos, the founder the CEO of Amazon, for the third consecutive year heads the list of the richest Americans prepared by Forbes magazine, a list dominated by people who have made their fortunes in the world of technology.
With a net worth estimated at some $179 billion, Bezos is considered to be the not only the richest American but also the richest individual in the world, having seen his wealth increase significantly during the coronavirus pandemic.
In August, Forbes calculated that Bezos’s fortune exceeded $200 billion thanks to the revaluation of Amazon shares, although for the current list the magazine uses share value figures from the end of July, when the mogul’s wealth had increased by 57 percent over the same time last year.
Following Bezos on the list is Microsoft founder Bill Gates, whose wealth was estimated at $111 billion, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at $85 billion.
Veteran investor Warren Buffett sits in the No. 4 spot on the list of the richest Americans and is an exception in the upper echelon of the rankings because he did not make his fortune in the tech sector.
Other tech sector moguls in the stratosphere are Oracle founder Larry Ellison, followed by former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Tesla chief Elon Musk and the founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
The top 10 spots on the list also include Alice Walton, one of the heirs of retail giant Walmart, immediately followed by her brothers Jim and Rob.
In all, the 400 richest Americans sit atop a fortune valued at some $3.2 trillion, $240 billion more than a year ago thanks in large part to the rise in the stock market in recent months.
This year there are 18 new faces on the list, including the CEO of Zoom, Eric Yuan, and the founder of electric and hydrogen-powered truck manufacturer Trevor Milton.
President Donald Trump remains on the list of the 400 richest Americans, although this year he tumbled from the No. 275 spot down to No. 352 after his estimated wealth diminished from $3.1 billion to $2.5 billion due to the impact of the pandemic on his real estate and hotel businesses.
