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16. Jeff Bezos
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Title: CEO, Amazon.com
Country: US
Age: 51
Amazon.com is an undeniable superpower in e-commerce. The company, which generates $89 billion in sales but has often failed to turn a net profit, surprised investors in July by reporting quarterly earnings of $92 million, handily beating analyst expectations. Amazon stock shot up, making founder and CEO Jeff Bezos worth an estimated $55 billion. Despite negative media reports in August claiming Amazon’s warehouses are high-pressure, toxic work environments — claims Bezos disputed — the company has continued to thrive.
This year, Bezos led the growth of Amazon Web Services, the company’s cloud-computing branch, announced a plan for high-speed package delivery via drones, and opened Amazon’s first brick-and-mortar bookstore in Seattle.
Bezos’ privately owned space company Blue Origin successfully launchedits first spacecraft this year and has plans to test rocket engines and launch manned rockets within the next decade.
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