SALT LAKE CITY — Jeff Bezos is the richest person in the world, even though he makes $81,840 a year, CNN reports.
He’s made that salary for the last 10 years, according to CNN.
Bezos has never taken a stock award, either, since he owns 16 percent of Amazon, which is worth $100 billion on its own, CNN reports.
Yes, but: Amazon has paid millions of dollars per year to protect Bezos. For example, Bezos received $1.6 million last year for security-related services and business travel.
According to Amazon, the security costs are "especially reasonable in light of his low salary and the fact that he has never received any stock-based compensation."
Bigger picture: Bezos still makes a lot of money. In fact, his net worth sits at about $82.6 billion. According to Quartz, he makes the annual salary of a $15-an-hour Amazon employee every 11.5 seconds.
- Amazon started offering employees a $15 minimum wage last year. Bezos has now challenged other companies to offer a competitive wage, according to The Verge.
- “Today I challenge our top retail competitors (you know who you are!) to match our employee benefits and our $15 minimum wage,” Bezos wrote in a letter to shareholders. “Do it! Better yet, go to $16 and throw the gauntlet back at us. It’s a kind of competition that will benefit everyone.”