(Forbes) Amid a year of big gains and big losses, The Forbes 400 richest Americans are worth a record-breaking $2.96 trillion, up 2.2% from 2018. Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos keeps his spot as No. 1 richest in the U.S for the second year in a row, despite parting with a quarter of his Amazon stake in a record-setting divorce settlement earlier this year. He clocks in at $114 billion, down from $160 billion a year ago. His ex-wife, Mackenzie Bezos, joins the list for the first time at No. 15, with a $36.1 billion fortune. Bill Gates came in at No. 2 , the same rank as last year, but the gap between him and Bezos has narrowed dramatically, to just $8 billion as of September 6, the day we locked in net worths.
Besides MacKenzie Bezos, 18 other newcomers join the ranks, including Tim Sweeney, whose video game company Epic Games is behind the wildly popular Fortnite; private equity dealmaker Orlando Bravo, who is the first Puerto Rican-born billionaire; and Anthony Wood, founder of streaming technology firm Roku. The minimum net worth needed to be part of the exclusive club is unchanged from last year at $2.1 billion; the average net worth of a Forbes 400 member has risen to $7.4 billion, up $200 million. At these heights, a record 221 American billionaires, ranging from Michael Jordan and Jay-Z to Sheryl Sandberg and Kylie Jenner, fail to make the cut.
The Forbes 400: The Definitive Ranking Of The Wealthiest Americans.
