Jeff Bezos is reportedly now worth over $171 billion, more than he was worth before his divorce
- Jeff Bezos' net worth has reached an all-time high of $171.6 billion, according to Bloomberg.
- The boost comes after Amazon's shares hit a new high of $2,878.70, pushing Bezos' fortune higher than it was before his divorce from MacKenzie Bezos. She received 25% of the couple's Amazon shares as part of the settlement.
- Amazon has seen a surge in demand during the coronavirus pandemic, leading the company to hire thousands of workers and temporarily raise worker pay.
- But the company has also faced scrutiny over worker safety during the outbreak, as well as potentially anti-competitive practices.
Jeff Bezos' net worth appears to have soared to an all-time high.
The Amazon CEO's fortune swelled after the company's shares reached a new high on Wednesday of $2,878.70. The surge pushed Bezos' net worth to $171.6 billion, according to Bloomberg.
Bloomberg notes that Bezos, the world's richest person, has added $56.7 billion to his fortune just in 2020.
Bezos' net worth took a dip after his divorce from MacKenzie Bezos last year. As part of the settlement, MacKenzie Bezos received 25% of the couple's Amazon shares, or about 4% of the company, worth about $38 billion at the time. The ownership shift skyrocketed MacKenzie Bezos in the ranking of the world's richest women — given Amazon's recent gains, she is now the second-richest woman in the world behind L'Oreal heiress Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, according to Bloomberg's Billionaire Index.
Amazon has seen a surge in demand during the coronavirus pandemic as people were unable to shop at brick-and-mortar retailers. In March, the company announced it was hiring 100,000 workers and temporarily raising pay to help meet "unprecedented" demand. By April, Amazon said it would add 75,000 more jobs.
But the company has also faced scrutiny over worker safety during the outbreak, as well as antitrust concerns, particularly the company's practices when it comes to third-party sellers on its platform. Jeff Bezos and other major tech CEOs will testify in front of Congress at the end of July.