Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has become the richest person in the world, taking the crown from Amazon's Jeff Bezos, CNBC reported citing trading data. According to CNBC, Musk currently has a net worth of more than $185 bln, compared to Bezos' $184 bln.
The Amazon CEO's title as the richest person on the planet has been uncontested since 2017, yet the recent dramatic increase of Tesla's shares has propelled Musk to the top, despite the fact he barely made the top 50 richest people a year ago.
CNBC noted that no one has climbed the rich list faster than Musk, as the South African-born entrepreneur has managed to accumulate more wealth over the past year than the entire net worth of Microsoft's Bill Gates ($132 bln), who he overtook in November.
On Wednesday, Tesla closed trading with a market value exceeding $700 bln for the first time, making its value more than that of Ford, Toyota, Honda, Fiat Chrysler, General Motors, and Volkswagen combined, according to AFP.