Jeff Bezos Adds 'World's Richest Person' To Achievements; A Chart Of His Career

Bill Gates was dethroned as the world’s wealthiest person, at least for a few hours, momentarily replaced by short-reigning Jeff Bezos.

With a $1.3 billion boost from Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN’s 1.6-percent stock pop, CEO Bezos surged to a value of $90.9 billion Thursday. The 53-year-old surpassed Gates by more than $500 million.

Bezos’ new net worth, as calculated by Forbes, represents a 20-percent increase in value since he was appraised at $72.8 billion in March, when he ranked No. 3 on Forbes’ list.

As just the seventh person in the 30-year history of Forbes’ wealth tracking to claim the “world’s richest person” title, he stands alongside Microsoft Corporation MSFT co-founder Gates and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A) (NYSE: BRK-B) CEO Warren Buffett as the only Americans to top the list.

It took him 19 years to rise from his first appearance on the Forbes 400, back when he had a humble $1.6 billion a year after Amazon went public. The company has risen in value by 61,127 percent, or $1,056, since then, and Bezos holds a 17-percent stake.

A Timeline

Here’s a breakdown of his professional journey:

• 1986: Graduated from Princeton University with Bachelor of Science degrees in electrical engineering and computer science. Joined startup Fitel and built a network for international trade.
• 1988: Joined Bankers Trust as a product manager.
• 1990: Joined hedge fund D.E. Shaw & Co., where he rose to senior vice president.
• 1994: Founded Amazon in a Seattle garage as an online bookseller.
• 2000: Founded Blue Origin for commercial space travel.
• 2013: Founded his personal investment firm, Nash Holdings, LLC, and purchased the Washington Post.
• 2015: Successfully launched and landed Blue Origin’s space vehicle.
• 2016: Made his Hollywood debut in “Star Trek Beyond.”

The business magnate also made a number of notable investments through Bezos Expeditions, including in Airbnb, Uber, Google GOOG GOOGL), Twitter Inc TWTR and Business Insider.

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