The wealth of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has jumped by about $87 billion to $368.5 billion after the valuation of his space company Blue Origin reached $140 billion in its latest funding round, moving him into second place on the list of the world’s richest people, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Bezos overtook Alphabet co-founder Larry Page, while Elon Musk retained the top spot with an estimated wealth of about $1.02 trillion.
First funding round since its founding
The increase in Bezos’ wealth was driven by the rise in Blue Origin’s valuation, amid growing investor interest in space companies, which have become a major driver of billionaire wealth growth this year.
The latest round was the company’s first of its kind since it was founded in 2000. Blue Origin opened its capital to outside investors in exchange for ownership stakes, after years of relying mainly on funding from Bezos.
PitchBook data showed that Coatue Management was the only newly identified investor in the round, contributing about $4 billion. Bezos retained a 93% stake in Blue Origin after the round, according to estimates by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Previous estimates had valued Bezos’ stake in the company at about $17 billion, based on the money he had invested in the project. Bezos has invested about $30 billion in Blue Origin since its founding, including $2 billion in the latest funding round, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The gap between Blue Origin and SpaceX
Blue Origin competes with Musk’s SpaceX in orbital launch services and transportation to the Moon, but SpaceX remains larger in terms of revenue and market value.
SpaceX generated about $18.7 billion in revenue last year, compared with about $800 million for Blue Origin, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. SpaceX’s market value stands at about $2.23 trillion, while Musk owns about 35% of the company, according to Bloomberg.
Space company valuations boost founders’ wealth
Investor interest in the space sector helped increase the wealth of Bezos and Musk in 2026, as valuations rose for companies involved in rocket launches and space services.
Musk became the first person whose wealth exceeded $1 trillion following SpaceX’s initial public offering in June. Despite a subsequent decline in the company’s shares, Musk has added about $405 billion to his wealth since the start of the year, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The jump in Bezos’ wealth highlights the growing impact of private space company valuations on their founders’ fortunes, even before their shares are listed on financial markets.
