Strong earnings from Amazon and a
boost to the company's stock have made its founder, Jeff Bezos, the
world's third richest person, according to Forbes.
Mr Bezos owns
18% of Amazon's shares, which rose 2% in trading on Thursday. Forbes
estimated his fortune to be $65.3bn (£49.5bn).
Amazon's revenue beat analysts' expectations, climbing 31% from last year to $30.4bn in the second quarter.
Profit for the e-commerce giant was $857m, compared with $92m in 2015.
According
to Forbes estimates, Mr Bezos's fortune is only surpassed by Microsoft
founder Bill Gates, worth $78bn (£59bn), and the $73.1bn (£55bn) fortune
of Zara founder Amancio Ortega.
Amazon had developed a reputation
for announcing little or no profit each quarter, but appeared to hit a
turning point last year and has seen improving earnings since.
Amazon shares have spiked 50% since February.
Jeff Bezos
•Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1964
•Studied at Princeton University and worked on Wall Street
•Launched Amazon as online book retailer in Seattle in 1994
•Company expanded dramatically but struggled to make a profit
•A lifelong Star Trek fan, he launched Blue Origin spaceflight and aerospace firm in 2000
•Bought The Washington Post newspaper in 2013
•Reputation as a driven boss, intensely focused on customers
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