Jeff Bezos Earns $7.9 Million Per Hour — What Does He Do With All That Cash?

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, had a net worth of $216.5 billion in 2024, making him the second richest person on the planet. 

In 2023 alone, Bezos’s net worth increased by $70 billion, from $107 billion to $177 billion. This means he earned around $191.78 million per day or an incredible $7.99 million per hour. His wealth growth was largely driven by the value of Amazon stock, in which he owns around 9%. 

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To picture just how much money he is earning, one only needs to look at this fact: Bezos makes in about 13 minutes what an average U.S. worker earns over their entire career. In 2023, the typical worker’s lifetime earnings were $1.7 million.

Bezos’s wealth isn’t just sitting in a bank. He’s invested in many different startups and new technologies through his venture capital firm, Bezos Expeditions. He also got in early with big names like Google, Uber, and Airbnb. Lately, he’s been investing money into artificial intelligence, neurotechnology, and biotech.

As is fitting for one of the world’s richest people, Bezos’s real estate portfolio is extensive and luxurious. He owns properties such as a $165 million estate in Beverly Hills and several high-end homes across the United States, including Washington, D.C., New York City, and Texas. 

He also owns a superyacht named Koru, which is one of the most luxurious and impressive yachts in the world. The 417-foot-long yacht, built by the Dutch company Oceanco, was delivered in April 2023 and reportedly cost around $500 million to build.

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Another thing that cost him a pretty penny was a $42 million, 10,000-year clock designed to symbolize long-term thinking.

One of Jeff Bezos’s biggest projects is Blue Origin, his private space company. Blue Origin’s goal is to make space travel easier for more people. They plan to promote space tourism, send landers to the moon, and possibly even colonize space in the future.

In 2013, Bezos bought The Washington Post for $250 million. He has also invested in other cultural and entertainment ventures through Amazon, including streaming services and original content production.

Notably, he has stepped up his charity work in recent years, even though some people think he doesn’t donate enough, given his wealth. He started the $2 billion Bezos Day One Fund to help homeless families and support preschool education. He also pledged $10 billion to the Bezos Earth Fund to fight climate change.

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Criticism

Many people criticize the former Amazon CEO for the company’s working conditions. Employees and critics agree that the company has low wages, stressful environments, not enough breaks, and lacks health care benefits for delivery drivers. 

These issues came into the spotlight again when Bezos thanked Amazon employees and customers for funding his spaceflight, causing backlash from workers and public figures who pointed out Amazon’s tough working conditions and anti-union practices​.

Even his focus on space exploration through his company, Blue Origin, wasn’t met without objection. He invests about $1 billion a year from selling his Amazon stock into Blue Origin, calling it his "most important work." 

Critics believe he should use his wealth to address urgent issues on Earth, such as poverty, health care, and education. They compare him to other billionaires like Bill Gates, who spends billions on global health initiatives.

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