How Jeff Bezos makes $3.5 million an hour, Amazon workers struggle with less pay

Although currently behind Bernard Arnault and Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos is one of the richest individuals in the world. According to Forbes’ “The World’s Real-Time Billionaires” index, his net worth is an astonishing $189.8 billion, which lends him third place, just in front of Mark Zuckerberg. Why cant they raise workers pay ? i have no answer

With this in mind, we wondered just how much Bezos makes in a single second, so we conducted a thorough analysis of his finances and came to astonishing numbers in the article ahead.

Jeff Bezos’ net worth

As of February 22, 2024, Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Blue Origin, and owner of The Washington Post, boasts a staggering net worth of $189.8 billion. His entrepreneurial ventures have propelled him to the very top of the world’s richest people, making him one of the most influential individuals during the last two decades.

Sources of income

Bezos’ enormous wealth primarily comes from his ownership stakes in various companies:

• Amazon: Bezos holds 11.5% ownership in Amazon, the e-commerce behemoth he founded back in 1994. The company’s gross profit for the twelve months ending September 30, 2023, amounted to a monumental $270.046 billion, confirming its dominance in the retail industry;
• Blue Origin: Bezos is the sole owner of Blue Origin, a private aerospace manufacturer and spaceflight services company. While the exact gross profit remains unconfirmed due to Blue Origin being a private company, its ambitious projects in space exploration contribute significantly to his wealth;
• The Washington Post: Owned by Nash Holdings, a limited liability company controlled by Bezos, The Washington Post serves as a flagship publication in American journalism. However, the exact gross profit of the newspaper remains undisclosed.

The methodology

To determine Bezos’ earnings per second, we employ a straightforward methodology. First, we determine the gross profits of Bezos’ sources of income. For Amazon, we utilize its reported figures. However, for Blue Origin and The Washington Post, due to the lack of disclosed data, we consider it as part of Bezos’ overall wealth without specific profit attribution. Then, we incorporate Bezos’ ownership percentage in Amazon to calculate his share of profits from these ventures.

Jeff Bezos’ ownership percentage in each company

How much does Jeff Bezos make a second?

With Bezos’ ownership stakes and Amazon’s gross profit established, we can crunch the numbers to unveil his earnings per second. By dividing his share of profits by the number of seconds in a year, we arrive at an astonishing figure that showcases the velocity of his wealth accumulation.

Jeff Bezos’ share of 2023 profits by company

In 2023, Bezos’ share of profits from his key ventures is as follows:

• Amazon: Approximately $31.06 billion, which is 11.5% of the company’s gross profit of $270.046 billion;
• Blue Origin: Exact figure unavailable;
• The Washington Post: Contribution indeterminable due to undisclosed profit data.

That said, there are 31,536,000 seconds in a year, which we can use to divide Bezos’ annual share of known profits. So, we divide $31.06 billion (11.5% of Amazon’s gross profit) with 31,536,000 (the number of seconds in a year), which amounts to approximately $985 per second from his share of profits from Amazon alone.

We can further conclude that Bezos earns $59,100 per minute, $3,546,000 per hour, $85,104,000 per day, and $595,728,000 per week.

Jeff Bezos’ earnings per second, minute, hour, day, and week

The calculated figure is based on estimated ownership percentages and reported profits for the respective companies, and should be considered speculative rather than precise financial data. Additionally, this analysis has not accounted for any of Bezos’ private investments, dividend-paying ventures, etc.

Comparison to other billionaires

Jeff Bezos’ net worth stands at an impressive $189.8 billion, making him one of the wealthiest individuals globally. However, he faces stiff competition from other billionaire titans. Namely, Bernard Arnault boasts a staggering net worth of $224.7 billion. The second place is occupied by Elon Musk, with $206 billion, and then just behind Bezos is Mark Zuckerberg with a net worth of $164.8 billion.

World’s richest people as of February 22, 2024. Source: forbes.com/real-time-billionaires

The bottom line

Jeff Bezos’ earnings per second serve as a testament to his amazing success in the business world. His relentless innovation and strategic vision have propelled him to unprecedented levels of wealth, making him a towering figure in the global economy. As Bezos continues to chart new frontiers in technology, space exploration, and media, his financial standing is poised to remain at the very top for the foreseeable future.