Who is the Indian who unseated Jeff Bezos as the second richest person in the world

Owner of India’s largest business conglomerate, tycoon Gautam Adani, 60, has become the second richest person in the world, displacing billionaire Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.

According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Adani has an estimated fortune of US$ 150 billion (about R$ 775 billion), US$ 15 billion (R$ 77.5 billion) more than the North American’s wealth. Jeff Bezos.

The wealth of the Indian is only behind that of Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, estimated at US$ 268 billion (R$ 1.385 trillion).

A coal baron, this is the first time that an Asian person has reached one of the highest positions in the wealth echelon, traditionally held by US technology entrepreneurs.

See Bloomberg’s ranking of the ten richest:

According to the US website Bloomberg News, in the 1980s Adani turned to the coal and port industry, after trying his luck in the Mumbai diamond industry.

Since then, investments by the Indian businessman have expanded. Currently, the Adani Group, of which the Indian tycoon is president, brings together a conglomerate of companies from different segments, operating in areas such as coal mining, port and airport management, cement manufacturing and even gas distribution and energy production. renewable.

Also according to Bloomberg News, the Indian group aims to become the world’s largest producer of renewable energy. Last year alone, the group reportedly promised to invest US$ 70 billion (R$ 361 billion) in green energy.

According to the British newspaper Financial Times, recent investment in renewable energy is criticized by environmentalists as a bit backward. Among the reasons is the fact that much of the group’s revenue comes from fossil fuels.

Recently, the Indian government adopted reforms that stimulate the production of renewable energy in the country and that should accelerate progress in this sector.

Also according to the British newspaper, the Indian group’s initiative to become greener would be a reflection of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to bringing the world’s third largest emitter of polluting gases to zero emissions by 2070.

meteoric rise

The growth of the wealth of the Indian entrepreneur occurred at a dizzying rate. At the beginning of the year, he was ranked 14th among the richest people in the world in the Bloomberg ranking. In February, Adani passed billionaire Mukesh Ambani, also from India, for the first time and became the richest Asian person on the planet.

Between July and August, Adani’s wealth surpassed the wealth of American Bill Gates, creator of Microsoft, and Frenchman Bernard Arnault, president of LVMH.

The Indian tycoon’s wealth grew as shares in his companies soared to record highs, in particular the group’s flagship, Adani Enterprises Ltd. Also according to Bloomberg, some of the shares of the group’s companies have risen more than 1,000% since 2020.

Although Adani took over from Bezos, the post of second-richest person in the world could be temporary, as his rise has coincided with a loss of US$46 billion in the US businessman’s wealth since the beginning of the year.