Jeff Bezos is closing in on $100 billion after a Black Friday stock surge

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Bezos is close to becoming the world's first $100 billion man.

• Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos is closing in on a net worth of $100 billion.
• Retail stocks have surged after strong Black Friday sales figures, pushing Amazon stock to record highs and adding $1.7 billion to Bezos' fortune.
• He would be the first person in the modern era with a known fortune of $100 billion.

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Jeff Bezos, the world's richest person, is closing in on a fortune of $100 billion after Black Friday buzz sent Amazon stock soaring to record highs.

Retail stocks are surging after Americans went crazy for Black Friday deals, spending about $1.5 billion online Thanksgiving evening.

Amazon is up about 1.9% through mid-morning Friday to $1,178 a share, adding $1.7 billion to Bezos' net worth and pushing his total fortune to over $99 billion, based on data from the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Bezos, Amazon's founder and CEO, owns 78.9 million shares of the tech and retailing giant, according to November filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, a roughly 16% stake currently worth $92.9 billion.

His fortune stood at $97.9 billion after the last stock market close on Wednesday, according to the Billionaires Index, which is updated at the close of every trading day in New York.

With Amazon up 1.9% Friday, his stake in the company would have increased from $91.2 billion, based on Amazon's closing price of around $1,156 on Wednesday, to $92.9 billion at the $1,178 price Friday morning - a $1.7 billion jump.

That would put his net worth at $99.6 billion.

In addition to his Amazon holdings and cash investments, Bezos owns a roughly $3 billion stake in rocket company Blue Origin, and he also owns The Washington Post, which he paid $250 million for, according to Bloomberg.

Bezos eclipsed Bill Gates as the richest person in the world in October. He would be the first person in the modern era with a known fortune of $100 billion or more.

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