Is Jeff Bezos the richest person in the world?

Jeff Bezos is one of the richest people on planet Earth, but the question a lot of people often wonder is whether he is the richest person.

Back in July 2021, Bezos stepped down as Amazon's CEO, handing over the reigns to Andy Jassy. And at the time, Bezos left with the comfort of knowing he was the richest man in the world.

However, things took a turn back in October, when Tesla’s Elon Musk surpassed him in wealth and knocked Bezos off the top spot.

That being said, that’s not to minimize the high net worth and extremely lavish lifestyle Bezos has created for himself.

As of December 2021, Bezos is the second-richest person on Earth, with his personal fortune eclipsing that of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates among others. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Bezos has a net worth of $202 billion as of writing.

When Bezos started Amazon in 1994 out of a garage and took it public in 1997, it was impossible to imagine the magnitude of influence the company would have in the future.

The founder, former CEO, and now executive chair of global e-commerce of Amazon can’t only credit his earnings to the online marketplace as he also has acquired substantial holdings such as real estate

Here are some mind-blowing facts you might be surprised to learn about Bezos and his wealth.

When was he the richest person in the world?

Thanks to Amazon’s soaring stock price, Bezos first became the wealthiest person in the world back in 2018 when his net worth doubled, jumping from $81.5bn in October 2017 to $160 billion the following October, according to Forbes.

When the outlet released their annual world’s billionaires list in April 2021, Bezos topped the list for the fourth consecutive year.

Calculated by net worth, he is estimated to earn $6.3bn per month, $1.4bn per week, $205m per day, $8.56m per hour, and $142,667 per minute.

And he does, with purchases so varied and outlandish that they go well beyond the average person's imagination. Bezos is worth more than $191bn as of August 2021.

Each year, he commits $1 billion to his space exploration company, Blue Origin. On July 20, 2021, Bezos and three others boarded the New Shepard spacecraft and completed Blue Origin’s first successful crewed flight.

Musk’s net worth rose by $24 billion to $335.1 billion Monday as the electric automaker’s shares jumped 8.5% in New York. That widened his lead over Amazon.com Inc.’s Jeff Bezos as the world’s wealthiest person to $143 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Who main rivals for the title are

According to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a daily ranking of the world’s richest people, here is the current lineup of the richest people in the world:

1. Elon Musk with a total net worth of: $278B

2. Jeff Bezos with a total net worth of: $202B

3. Bernard Arnault with a total net worth of: $170B

4. Bill Gates with a total net worth of: $137B

5. Larry Page with a total net worth of: $131B

6. Sergey Brin with a total net worth of: $126B

7. Mark Zuckerberg with a total net worth of: $121B

8. Steve Ballmer with a total net worth of: $119B

9. Larry Ellison with a total net worth of: $109B

10. Warren Buffett with a total net worth of: $104B

Most extravagant spending

Being one of the world’s richest people gives you some leeway on throwing millions on lavish possessions. So, what does Bezos spend his wealth on you might ask?

• One of the fastest private jets, the Gulfstream G650ER

The cost of the jet ranges to be around $65 million

Inside look of Gulfstream G650ERGulfstream Aerospace

• A New York dream home

For a jaw-dropping $96 million Bezos bought four apartments on Fifth Avenue in NYC. Per StreeEasy, Bezos had purchased three units in the building, with a combined purchase price of about $80 million, before purchasing yet another unit for $16 million. Combined, he is said to have a total of 23,000-square-feet in his three-story mansion all to his name.

• The Washington Post

In 2013, Bezos made a bid for and bought The Washington Post Co. Meaning the business titan is now the own of its flagship newspaper The Post and other affiliated publications. The deal reportedly set Bezos back by $250 million.

• Blue Origin

Perhaps more widely known is Bezos ownership of Blue Origin. Bezos created Blue Origin in 2000 and in 2017, he invested $1 billion into his space project.

Blue Origin has successfully launched a crew of humans into space with passengers such as Star Trek’s William Shatner, Bezos’ brother Mark, and Wally Funk.

Passengers of Blue Origin AP

Star Trek actor William Shatner looks out a window during the Blue Origin New Shepard mission NS-18 suborbital flight near Van Horn, Texas, U.S. October 13, 2021. via REUTERS

The third trip is slated to occur on Saturday, December 11 with two-time Emmy winner and Super Bowl Champion Michael Strahan on board.