As Amazon workers strike, Jeff Bezos becomes worth $150 billion

As Amazon prepared for its big Prime Day sale on 16 July, the news of Jeff Bezos's $150 billion net worth came out.

The number is more than Bill Gates was ever worth!

Bezos's net worth increased by $60 billion in the last 12 months, for a total of $150 billion, which makes him the world's richest man by far. It's not the first time Bezos topped the world's rich list. In July 2017, he briefly overtook Bill Gates as the world's richest man when Amazon's shares surged - but returned to second place when their value dropped again.

Bezos and Gates have been going back-and-forth as the world's richest person for the last few years, but it's worth noting that Gates has donated a very sizable part of his fortune to charity.


Amazon's poor work conditions!

Bezos has recently come under fire for the poor working conditions in Amazon workplace. Thousands of European workers went on strike ahead of Prime Day, looking to capitalize on the publicity around Prime Day to push for change at Amazon workplace.

Amazon workers in Europe walk out of the job for a three-day strike.

Some warehouse workers have say; “You spend 10 hours on foot, there’s no windows in the place, and you’re not allowed to talk to people — there’s no interactions allowed.”

In response to the controversy, a spokesperson for Amazon said “Amazon is a fair and responsible employer and as such we are committed to dialogue, which is an inseparable part of our culture. We are committed to ensuring a fair cooperation with all our employees, including positive working conditions and a caring and inclusive environment.”