Elon Musk, the South Africa-born American CEO of electric car company, Tesla, has become the world’s richest man.
Musk overtook Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO, on Thursday, following a 4.8 percent surge in Tesla’s share price.
The 49-year-old had his net worth rise $188.5 billion at 10:15 a.m. in New York, $1.5 billion more than Bezos, who has held the top spot since October 2017, according to Bloomberg Billionaire index.
About an hour later, Musk’s wealth climbed to $190 billion, following a surge in Tesla’s share price to $802 per share from only $92 a year ago.
As Musk and Bezos race to the $200 billion-mark, Bill Gates, the world’s richest man for almost 20 years, sits at a distant third with $132 billion.
