Jeff Bezos becomes richest person in the world again after two weeks off top

Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos has overtaken Louis Vuitton chief Bernard Arnault to reclaim the title of the world's richest person.

The departing Amazon chief executive now has a net worth of £136.8 billion ($193.5 billion), according to estimates, surpassing Bernard Arnault's estimated £136.3 billion ($192.9 billion) worth.

Forbes reports that on Thursday Amazon shares closed more than 2% higher, boosting Bezos’ net worth by $3.5 billion (£2.47 billion), while shares in Arnault’s luxury conglomerate LVMH slumped by nearly 1%, slashing £1 billion ($1.4 billion) from his fortune.

In January this year, Elon Musk rose to the top of the global wealth rankings as his net worth climbed to an astonishing £136 billion.

His time on top was short-lived, however, with departing Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos reclaiming the top spot just a month later after his $191.2 billion (£135.3bn) fortune overtook SpaceX founder's then $173.4 billion (£122.7bn) net worth.

It comes shortly after the announcement that Jeff Bezos will step down as the CEO of Amazon.

He founded the firm more than 25 years ago, but Amazon Web Services chief Andy Jassy will be taking over the role.

Bezos, who has been CEO of Amazon since he founded it as an online bookseller in 1995, will become executive chairman during the summer.

The billionaire said the role of executive chairman will allow him to "focus my energies and attention on new products and early initiatives".

He also said it will also give him the "time and energy I need to focus on" other initiatives.

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In an email to Amazon’s 1.3million employees, he said: "I’ve never had more energy, and this isn’t about retiring. I’m super passionate about the impact I think these organisations can have.

"Amazon couldn’t be better positioned for the future. We are firing on all cylinders, just as the world needs us to.

"We have things in the pipeline that will continue to astonish."

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He added the firm is "widely recognised as one of the most successful companies in the world".

He wrote: "How did that happen? Invention. Invention is the root of our success.

"We’ve done crazy things together, and then made them normal."

It comes following the news that a petition urging Jeff Bezos to buy and eat the Mona Lisa is gathering pace.

In the bizarre appeal on Change.org, the Amazon CEO is encouraged to buy the world-famous Leonardo da Vinci painting and munch it because "nobody has eaten the Mona Lisa and we feel Jeff Bezos needs to take a stand and make this happen."

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