As people got poorer … these people got incredibly rich

The year 2020 which is about to depart has been difficult for the majority of the world’s population, as the Covid-19 epidemic has claimed the lives of more than 1.7 million people, while the economic crisis which led to the closure of many businesses and the loss of millions of jobs made the lives of others more difficult.

But paradoxically, the richest people on the planet are only getting richer. More than 60% of the world’s billionaires got richer in 2020, and the top five saw their combined wealth reach $ 310.5 billion.

Elon Musk “Tesla”

Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX and CEO of Tesla, racked up $ 132 billion added to his cash flow in 2020.

That took him to a total of $ 160 billion in net worth, according to Bloomberg data.

That was enough for Musk to climb several rungs on the billionaire list, overtaking Bill Gates to take second place (after Jeff Bezos) last November.

Plus, according to Forbes, it’s the billionaire’s biggest gain in a year since the magazine began following the world’s highest fortunes.

Along with Tesla’s outstanding performance in the market through record car sales, Mask’s subsidiary, SpaceX, also boomed in 2020 by becoming the first private company to launch astronauts.

Jeff Bezos .. The Momentum of Electronic Commerce

Jeff Bezos, owner of Amazon and The Washington Post, started 2020 as the richest person in the world and ends it the same way.

All he has done is add an estimated $ 71 billion to his net worth, thanks to the extraordinary increase in “Amazon” income due to the increase in online sales due to the pandemic.

Bezos’ net worth briefly exceeded $ 200 billion a few months ago, dropping to $ 186 billion.

Zhong Shanshan, the richest man in China

Zhong Shanshan’s net worth has increased by $ 65 billion, and it is currently over $ 72 billion, according to Bloomberg.

Zhong became China’s richest man in September, after bottled water company Nongfu Spring launched a successful IPO that grossed more than $ 1.1 billion.

The company he founded in 1996 and controls a fifth of the Asian giant’s bottled water market is valued at around $ 70 billion. Zhong, 66, owns more than 84% with an estimated stake of $ 60 billion.

It has helped him overtake other billionaires like Tencent’s Bonnie Ma and Alibaba founder Jack Ma to become China’s richest person in recent months.

Zhong also controls vaccine maker Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy, which went public in April.

The company is developing a COVID-19 nasal spray vaccine, which was in phase two trials in November.

“King of the Internet” .. Colin Huang

Colin Huang, founder of Chinese e-commerce company Pinduoduo, made $ 34 billion in profit this year, bringing his net worth to nearly $ 54 billion.

With the support of Chinese giant Tencent, Pinduoduo recorded huge highs in China after the Corona outbreak. The company’s revenue grew 89% with the increase in online demand in China. With generous discounts, the company is able to capture a large market in small towns and rural areas of China.

Dan Gilbert .. Exchange is one of the widest doors

Gilbert, 58, is the owner of NBA Cleveland Cavaliers and co-founder of online mortgage company Quicken Loans.

According to Bloomberg, his net worth increased by $ 27 billion in 2020 (to a total of $ 34 billion), thanks to the momentum generated by the public offering of Rocket Companies, the parent company of Quicken Loans, in August.

Gilbert owns about 80% of Rocket Companies, a stake of over $ 31 billion.

Gilbert’s staggering net increase in fortune in one year (six times) is attributed to the initial public offering.