Jeff Bezos sells $2 billion of Amazon shares as stock surge puts him within reach of becoming the world’s richest person

The sales took place on Wednesday and Thursday and netted just over $2 billion, according to a filing.

Amazon disclosed on Feb. 2 that Bezos plans to sell as many as 50 million shares of Amazon over the next 12 months, potentially cashing in on a stock surge that’s put him within reach of becoming the world’s richest person. His fortune has climbed $22.6 billion this year to $199.5 billion as of Friday, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

The Amazon founder has sold over $30 billion in shares since records going back to 2002, including about $20 billion combined in 2020 and 2021. He has primarily been gifting stock, including shares worth roughly $230 million that were given to nonprofit organizations in November.

Amazon, through a spokesperson, declined to comment.