Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is the world's richest man: Report

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has become the world's richest man surpassing Microsoft's Bill Gates, Forbes said.

Bezos overtook Gates as Amazon.com Inc shares surged ahead of the online retailer’s earnings report.

Shares of the online retailer rose 1.3 per cent to $1,065.92 in morning trade in the New York stock exchange boosting Bezos net worth to $90.9 billion marginally ahead of Bill Gates' $90.7 billion.

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Analysts are closely watching the Amazon shares today, if the share priceholds at close Bezos will end the day as the world's richest man.

Bezos owns around 17 per cent equity inAmazon. Healso owns aprivate space firm Blue Origin and the Washington Post newspaper.

Bezos also called the 'sultan of e-commerce' had become the second-richest man on the planet a few months ago.

Bezos had left DE Shaw & Co, a Wall Street firm in 1994 to launch an online book retailer which later became amazon.com. Amazon.com has now gone beyond selling books online to disrupting traditional industries which include grocery shopping, television and delivery service.