Jeff Bezos has had a good 2020.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, the Amazon CEO has added almost $35 billion to his net worth so far this year, meaning he is now worth $150 billion.
Bezos' wealth is largely linked to Amazon's climbing stock price. In March, around the time when the novel coronavirus was declared a pandemic, the company saw a "major surge" in demand, per its first-quarter earnings call. The retail giant went on an enormous 175,000-person recruitment drive to cope with demand. The company's stock has hovered above the $2,000 mark through the pandemic, closing at $2,483 on Friday. Bezos is the firm's biggest insider shareholder, with more than 55 million shares.
This is not the first time Bezos has hit the $150 billion milestone. He first attained it in July 2018 — a feat that made him not only the richest person in the world but also in modern history. He is now $35 billion ahead of the next-richest person in the world, Bill Gates.
As Bezos' wealth grows, his company has come under scrutiny for its treatment of the warehouse workers who pick and pack items for online orders.
In March the company introduced a temporary $2 pay rise on its usual $15 minimum hourly wage for warehouse workers, though this policy was discontinued at the beginning of this month.
Workers have protested the firm, saying it has not introduced adequate safety protections for its frontline warehouse workers, eight of whom are reported to have died with COVID-19.
