The title of ‘Richest Man in the World’ has constantly hogged the lion’s the share of headlines whenever a new candidate has emerged from the shadows. Case in point; Jeff Bezos.
Image via cnbc.com
The American entrepreneur saw his name plastered across headlines, both physical and digital, as he finally dethroned the longest reigning list topper, Bill Gates himself (Held No. 1 spot for 18 out of the last 23 years). Funnily enough however, the titles swapped hands mere hours after news broke, as is the consequence of calculating a net worth based on an individual’s percentage of shares. Jeff Bezos owns around 17% of all Amazon.com shares, valued in 2016 at USD 83 billion. In layman terms, when Amazon’s stock goes up, so does Bezos’, and vice versa. This somewhat explains his gloriously exaggerated, albeit brief stint with the hallowed title wrapped around his waist.
Image via geekwire.com
Putting things into perspective however, Bezos won’t be feeling too hard done by. He is still second on the rich list with his net worth now paltry, at just below the USD 90 billion mark. Jokes firmly aside, if we are culturally obsessed with such mythical titles as the one currently being ‘fought’ over, then we should at least be equally concerned with how the man made his money. Bezos’ name may seem foreign to most Malaysians, as Amazon has yet to be made available in the country. Worldwide however, the online retailing behemoth he found back in 1995 seems to dabble in just about every facet in life imaginable, from fresh groceries and food delivery services, to online tv services and voice-controlled intelligent personal assistants. Want an idea of how big they are? Even the online streaming phenomenon, Netflix, uses Amazon Web Services for its basic functionality.
Image via businessinsider.com
The story of him selling books out of out a garage, as Amazon opened for the first time, has been told time and again. But an interesting fact to note for any student who ever dreams of following in his footsteps, is a slightly lesser known fact, namely, what he chose to study at college. Not much is known about the man who’s been shrouded by an air of mystique, his elusiveness especially evident when put alongside other famous billionaires, such as the more philanthropic Gates and socially active Zuckerberg. What is known however, is that Jeff Bezos did study a
Bachelor of Science degree in
electrical engineering. He also studied a
Bachelor of Science Degree in
computer science. Yes, he did both at the same time, juggling a
double major which culminated in graduation from the prestigious Princeton university with the highest honours possible. He landed a big Wall Street job soon after, but ultimately left the lucrative position with nothing but determination and a vision. The rest, as they say, is history. Are you interested in
engineering? If you are,
click here to learn all about studying at
IUKL, with merit
scholarships and waivers available of up to
100%Are you interested in
computer science? If you are,
click here to learn about earning a
Dual Degree in the course with the
International University of Malaya-Wales.
