UTV | COLOMBO – Amazon chief Jeff Bezos is now the world’s richest person, having snatched the top spot from Microsoft founder Bill Gates who slips to second place, according to Forbes magazine’s annual billionaires list published Tuesday.
Bezos has also become the first person to amass a fortune surpassing $100 billion in Forbes magazine’s annual ranking of the world’s moguls.
US President Donald Trump’s ranking on the list fell to 766th place from 544th in the last edition, his wealth now being estimated at $3.1 billion, $400 million less than a year ago.
Thanks to a 59-percent rise in Amazon shares over the past 12 months, Bezos’ fortune shot up to $120 billion, way ahead of the $90 billion Forbes listed for Gates.
Legendary investor Warren Buffett held on to his number three ranking, followed by French industrialist Bernard Arnault, who jumped to fourth-richest person from his previous number 11 spot, mostly thanks to euro strength against the dollar, foreign media reports.
