Watch CBS News

Miami's Jeff Bezos Becomes Richest Man On The Planet

Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter

MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Jeff Bezos, the owner of Amazon who graduated from Miami's Palmetto High School, is now the richest man in the world.

Bezos surpassed Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates Thursday, according to a Bloomberg report.

Gates has held the top spot since May of 2013. Just a year ago, Bezos was number five on the list.

Things changed Thursday when shares of Amazon rose more than 1% driving Bezos' net worth to $90.9 billion, compared to Gates' $90.7 billion.

When Bezos graduated from Palmetto in 1982, he was not only valedictorian, but also a National Merit Scholar and a Silver Knight award winner for science.

He told The Miami Herald back then he wanted to "build space hotels, amusement parks, yachts and colonies for two or three million people orbiting around the earth."

Instead, he founded Amazon and changed the world in a different way.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.