Jeff Bezos makes a record $13 billion in one day as millions of Americans struggle to survive amid coronavirus pandemic

While millions of Americans out of jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic, Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos saw his net worth surge by a record $13 billion in just one day, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Bezos’s fortune swell $74 billion in 2020 to $189.3 billion on Monday as Amazon stocks reached an all-time high.

Bezos’ ex-wife, Mackenzie Bezos, also gained $4.6 billion Monday and is now the 13th-richest person in the world. In the meantime, about 25 million jobless Americans are slated to be kicked off the $600 weekly federal unemployment benefit that expires at the end of July.

According to Bloomberg, Bezos is now personally worth more than the market valuation of giants such as Exxon Mobil Corp., Nike Inc. and McDonald’s Corp.

The 56-year old Bezos is the world’s richest person. He has maintained that spot since 2017 and was named the “richest man in modern history” after his net worth increased to $150 billion in July 2018. In September 2018, 2020, Forbes described him as “far richer than anyone else on the planet” as he added $1.8 billion to his net worth when Amazon became the second company in history to reach a market cap of $1 trillion.

Bezos is not the only tech titan enjoying the stock surge. As we reported last week, Elon Musk’s riches rose by $6.1 billion. Elon Musk is now worth more than $75 billion, officially surpassing that of Warren Buffett. Musk’s fortune boost is fueled by Tesla’s skyrocketing stock price. Tesla is now valued more $286.33 billion as of close of market last week.

Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg has also added around $15 billion to his net worth so far this year, even as the company deals with brands boycotting ads on the social network.