Jeff Bezos, the Founder and current CEO of Amazon.com (AMZN  ), became the world's richest person for several hours last week. Due to Amazon's share price increase of 40%, Bezos surpassed the wealth of Microsoft (MSFT  ) founder Bill Gates to become worth $91 billion. According to Forbes' billionaires list, which calculates individual wealth based on the share prices of owned companies, Bezos briefly rose to first place to pass Gates' fortune of $90 billion. By the end of the day, however, Bezos returned back to the world's second richest person due to a slight decrease in Amazon's stock price by the time the e-commerce company released their second-quarter earnings. While the slight fluctuations in wealth may appear trivial, Bezos' temporary rise to the richest person in the world is a clear marker of Amazon's growing power on the market as a whole.

Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico to a young mother in 1964, Bezos' rise to riches has been characterized by his business choices over the last couple of years. His purchase of the Washington, DC-based daily newspaper The Washington Post and his creation and investment in the space company Blue Origin served as symbols of his growing wealth. Although the business mogul has played a role in the formation of multiple businesses, as well as the advance of Amazon.com itself, most report that the billionaire keeps a low profile. When Bezos was asked how his life had changed when he first joined the ranks of a billionaire, he simply stated: "Personally, it hasn't changed at all. The big difference is that we now have $50 million in the bank, which is huge."

© Blue Origin

Compared to Bill Gates, Bezos' inevitable rise to riches will be different than the business magnate's. Bezos' does not have quite as large of a philanthropic impact, he is known for his impact on culture and media. In addition, Gates' wealth is largely secured by his past involvement with Microsoft, a long-established company with quite a history. In contrast, Bezos' work with Amazon has only just begun, a fact that is characterized by the recent purchase of the supermarket chain Whole Foods Market (WFM  ). While Gates' has created a technology empire whilst framing himself as a public figure that relies on public addresses and interviews, Bezos focuses on matters of solely business.

Bezos' placement as the richest person in the world, while only lasting for several hours, is projected to become more permanent in upcoming years. According to a analyst, Amazon may very well be the first trillion-dollar company if it's stock price rises to $2,000. Given that Amazon already makes up 43% of sales across the web, and boasts 64 million subscribers for its premium subscription service Prime, its rise in stock price does not seem so far away. Bezos' clever expansion of Amazon beyond solely retail, characterized by Amazon's cloud computing service, creation of original television shows, and even its smart personal assistant speaker Alexa, Amazon's shares in the past year alone have made the company worth more than $500 billion. It's safe to say that Bezos', given Amazon's strategic journey to success, will pose a new meaning to wealth and power in the near future.