To put that in perspective, a trillion dollars is a million millions. If you spent USD 1 million every single day, it would take you nearly 2,740 years to spend it all.

SpaceX raised a record USD 75 billion in the offering, valuing the company at roughly USD 1.8 trillion, making it the largest stock market debut in history. By the end of that first trading day, with SpaceX opening on Nasdaq at USD 150 a share, Musk’s combined SpaceX and Tesla stakes alone were worth roughly USD 1.05 trillion.

From USD 24 Billion to a Trillion
As recently as March 2020, Musk’s net worth was estimated at USD 24.6 billion. Then, in January 2021, he became the richest person on the planet, surpassing USD 200 billion and USD 300 billion in the same year. The driver was Tesla. The electric car company’s stock rose roughly tenfold in about 18 months, as investors began valuing it less like a car company and more like a tech giant. By late 2021, Tesla’s total market value topped USD 1.23 trillion, temporarily pushing Musk’s net worth to USD 340 billion.

Then came the crash. In October 2022, Musk bought Twitter for USD 44 billion. The deal was expensive, chaotic, and immediately controversial. Tesla shareholders panicked. Between November 2021 and December 2022, Musk’s net worth fell by over USD 200 billion, one of the largest wealth destructions in history. That sum was greater than the entire fortune of the world’s second-richest person at the time. He briefly lost his top ranking to French luxury goods billionaire Bernard Arnault.

He came back. Tesla recovered. SpaceX kept growing in the background, quietly and dramatically. Then the milestones started piling up faster than anyone had predicted. Musk became the first person ever with a net worth of USD 500 billion in October 2025.

Two months later, the Delaware Supreme Court reinstated his previously cancelled Tesla stock option package, valued at USD 139 billion, pushing his fortune to USD 749 billion and making him the first person to cross USD 700 billion.

Then in February 2026, Forbes declared Musk the first person in history to surpass USD 800 billion, following the SpaceX-xAI merger that valued the combined company at USD 1.25 trillion. The SpaceX IPO in June 2026 was the final push over the line.

In the six years since he first crossed USD 100 billion, Musk’s net worth grew roughly tenfold, at a pace that no billionaire in history has matched, including Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Bernard Arnault during their own runs at the top.

The Twitter Gamble That Became the X Ecosystem
When Musk bought Twitter in October 2022, most observers saw a billionaire overpaying for a struggling social network. What Musk saw was the foundation for something far larger.

Twitter was folded into a new company called X Corp. in April 2023. In July 2023, it was rebranded as X, with an entirely new strategy. The platform moved to the x.com domain in May 2024 and began integrating payments, video, and AI features through the Grok assistant.

The idea Musk kept referencing was WeChat, China’s super app where people chat, pay bills, shop, book taxis, and manage their bank accounts all in one place. He wanted to build the Western world’s version of that.

The payments piece came first. X Money launched as a digital wallet allowing users to store money, send and receive funds, earn interest on cash balances, and spend via a dedicated Visa debit card, all without leaving the X platform.

The AI piece came next. Musk founded xAI in July 2023, building the Grok chatbot directly into X. In February 2026, SpaceX acquired xAI in an all-stock deal, bringing together SpaceX’s rockets and Starlink satellite network, xAI’s Grok AI platform and Colossus supercomputer, and the X social media platform under one corporate roof. The stated goal was to build what Musk calls “orbital data centres,” essentially AI computing infrastructure in space.

X’s revenue tells a complicated story. In 2021, Twitter generated USD 5.1 billion in revenue in its last full year as an independent public company. By 2026, X generates approximately USD 2.9 billion, still 35% below the pre-Musk peak, with advertising accounting for 68% of income despite a significant exodus of big advertisers.

But the real value was never in ad revenue. The strategic objective was to acquire the world’s largest real-time human conversation dataset at precisely the moment that data became the most valuable raw material in the global economy. That data now feeds Grok, which sits inside a company worth USD 1.8 trillion.

Where the Trillion Actually Sits
Musk’s wealth is concentrated in a small number of companies he founded or controls. His fortune breaks down roughly as follows: SpaceX accounts for approximately USD 800 billion, Tesla approximately USD 290 billion, xAI approximately USD 40 billion, and X approximately USD 12 billion. His other ventures, including Neuralink and The Boring Company, barely register at this scale.

Musk owns 4.8 billion shares of SpaceX, or about 42% of the company, plus 350 million stock options exercisable at just USD 8.39 per share. At the IPO price of USD 135 a share, his stake alone is worth USD 648 billion, with the options adding another USD 44.3 billion.

Musk himself has pushed back on characterisations of his wealth as purely personal gain. Writing on X earlier this year, he said: “My ‘net worth’ is almost entirely due to my ownership stakes in Tesla and SpaceX. I have less than 0.1% that is cash,” adding that he has already created wealth for others “thousands of times over” and that Tesla is “more than 80% owned by retail investors and index/pension funds.”

Nearly 95% of Musk’s total fortune consists of unrealised equity gains, meaning he cannot simply spend it. Despite holding wealth that exceeds the GDP of several mid-size economies, he remains largely illiquid.

He can borrow against his shares, but even a hint of selling large stakes could crash the very stock prices that underpin the number. Financial analysts have also flagged questions about how long the valuation holds up.

As Jason Schloetzer of Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business told ABC News: “It remains to be seen whether the valuation of SpaceX can maintain or whether we’ll see it come down once it’s under the scrutiny of public markets. Clearly, fundamentals matter in the long run. But it seems like Musk has been able to defy fundamentals in the past and he may be able to do that again.”

A Gap No Other Billionaire Comes Close to Bridging
Before the SpaceX IPO, Alphabet co-founder Larry Page held the position of the world’s second-richest person, with a net worth of around USD 304 billion, itself a staggering sum. The listing made even that figure look modest.

Forbes deputy editor Matt Durot described the gap plainly to Reuters: “The second-richest person has been hovering around USD 300 billion, so about less than one-third of what Musk is worth. And only one other person, Oracle founder Larry Ellison, has ever been worth USD 400 billion.”

Post-IPO, the scoreboard looks like this. Musk, at USD 1.1 trillion, sits USD 704 billion ahead of second-placed Larry Page, who is worth USD 296 billion. Oracle’s Larry Ellison is fourth on the Forbes list at USD 228 billion, putting him USD 872 billion behind Musk. Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, at USD 196 billion, trails Musk by USD 904 billion.

The top 10 billionaires in the world combined were worth USD 2.55 trillion at the end of 2025. Musk alone is now approaching half that combined figure.

The scale also dwarfs entire national economies. Musk’s personal net worth is now larger than the annual GDP of Taiwan, Ireland, or Sweden. His fortune equals roughly one-quarter of India’s entire GDP, which the IMF estimates at around USD 4.15 trillion.

The milestone has drawn sharp reactions across the political and economic spectrum. Senator Bernie Sanders was direct on the platform Musk himself owns: “Today, Elon Musk, a trillionaire, pays the same amount into Social Security as someone making USD 184,500. If we end that absurdity and lift the cap on taxable income, we can make Social Security solvent for 75 years and expand benefits by USD 2,400.”

From the economics world, Michael Morris, professor of leadership at Columbia Business School, offered a more structural view, by stating, “For him, it probably won’t be a very meaningful change. He already has an enormous amount of wealth, and this will be some more zeros. But our institutions are under our control, and our institutions are allowing greater levels of inequality, and we just know empirically that that puts democracy at risk.”

Musk’s wealth did not build steadily. It moved in violent jumps, each tied to a specific event. A Tesla stock split in 2020. A SpaceX tender offer in late 2025. A court ruling reinstating his Tesla pay package. A merger announcement in February 2026. An IPO in June 2026. Each event added between USD 50 billion and USD 200 billion in a matter of days.

The result is a fortune so large it has effectively created its own category, one that no other person in history has entered, and that the second-richest person on earth, Larry Page at USD 296 billion, would need to nearly quadruple his wealth just to reach.

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These individuals have pushed boundaries, taken risks, and used their influence to address global challenges, leaving a significant (and positive) mark on history. Their success is not just measured by their wealth but by the legacy they leave behind, whether it’s in the form of technological innovation, leadership, or philanthropy.

Making a top entrepreneurs list is tricky because none of these people followed a clean path. Most of them messed up, got lucky, took huge risks, or just refused to quit when they probably should have.

Steve Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011)

Jobs was not known for being easy to work with, but he cared deeply about how things felt to the user. He turned computers, phones, and even packaging into emotional products. Apple blended tech with the changing culture.

Bill Gates (October 28, 1955 – Present)

Gates saw software as the future before most people understood what software even meant. Microsoft didn’t just build programmes; it shaped how businesses and homes used computers for decades.

Warren Buffett (August 30, 1930 – Present)

Buffett proves you do not need flashy ideas to win big. He focused on patience, discipline, and long-term thinking. Slow, boring decisions, done consistently, made him one of the most successful investors ever.

Elon Musk (June 28, 1971 – Present)

Musk bets on things that sound unrealistic at first. Electric cars, reusable rockets, brain chips. Some ideas work, some do not, but he keeps pushing industries forward, whether people are ready or not.

Oprah Winfrey (January 29, 1954 – Present)

Oprah turned her voice and authenticity into an empire. Media, publishing, television, she built trust first, business second. That trust is why her influence lasted so long.

Jeff Bezos (January 12, 1964 – Present)

Bezos was obsessed with customers while everyone else chased short-term profits. Amazon started with books and quietly became part of everyday life. Convenience won.

Larry Ellison (August 17, 1944 – Present)

Ellison built Oracle with pure competitiveness. He was not shy about ambition. Databases are not glamorous, but they run the world behind the scenes.

Mark Zuckerberg (May 14, 1984 – Present)

Zuckerberg changed how people communicate fast. Facebook grew faster than anyone expected, and with that growth came huge responsibility and plenty of controversy.

Richard Branson (July 18, 1950 – Present)

Branson made business look fun. Airlines, music, space, he jumped industries without losing personality. Branding and boldness were his biggest tools.

Larry Page (March 26, 1973 – Present) and Sergey Brin (August 21, 1973 – Present)

These two organised the internet. Google made information usable, searchable, and instantly available, and changed how humans think.

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Amazon supports creating a new standard that might help the cloud computing company and online retailer overcome a shortage of quality-labelled offset suppliers and reach its goal of having no net greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. Opponents fear that the change may cause confusion in the market and compromise carbon offset standards.

Companies that are under pressure to reduce their carbon footprints can purchase credits from companies that are involved in carbon-absorbing projects, like reforestation. Due to the small number of projects that can substantiate the offsets’ positive climate impact, the market for them has remained small.

Amazon informed Reuters that it has finished developing Abacus, a system for confirming the calibre of carbon offsets obtained through agroforestry and reforestation. As an alternative to the standard created by the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM), the largest coalition of environmental and private sector organisations worldwide tasked with certifying carbon offsets, Amazon created its own using the carbon registry Verra. In 2022, Verra declared that it was working with Amazon and its Abacus working group to develop the label.

Jeff Bezos is one of the largest contributors to ICVCM, having contributed at least USD 11 million to the organisation and its sister organisation Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative since its founding in 2021 through his USD 10 billion Earth Fund, which he established to address climate change.

In an interview, Jamey Mulligan, Amazon’s head of carbon neutralisation, stated that while the company assessed and approved ICVCM’s work, it was looking for a more stringent standard.

“We want to ensure that every credit investment has a real, conservatively quantified and verified impact on emissions,” Mulligan said.

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Check out the ten highly successful entrepreneurs who have made a significant impact in their respective industries and are often recognized as some of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time.

Bill Gates

Bill Gates is an American business magnate, philanthropist, and software developer. He co-founded Microsoft Corporation, the world’s largest personal computer software company, in 1975. Bill Gates played a crucial role in popularizing personal computers and revolutionizing the software industry. He served as Microsoft’s CEO until 2000 and later as its Chairman until 2014. Alongside his business success, Bill Gates is renowned for his philanthropic efforts. Through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, he has committed substantial resources to global health, education, and poverty alleviation. Bill Gates’ contributions to technology and humanitarian causes have made him one of the most influential figures of our time.

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs was an American entrepreneur and visionary. He co-founded Apple Inc. in 1976 and played a pivotal role in revolutionizing the consumer electronics industry. Steve Jobs was known for his relentless pursuit of excellence and his passion for elegant design. He played a key role in the development of iconic products like the Macintosh, iPod, iPhone, and iPad, transforming Apple into one of the world’s most valuable companies. Steve Jobs’ ability to merge technology with artistry and his focus on creating user-friendly devices left an indelible mark on the industry. His charismatic leadership and innovative thinking continue to inspire entrepreneurs worldwide.

Elon Musk

Elon Musk is a South Africa-born entrepreneur and business magnate. He is the CEO and lead designer of SpaceX, CEO and product architect of Tesla, Inc., CEO of Neuralink, and founder of The Boring Company. Elon Musk is known for his ambitious visions and relentless pursuit of innovation. He has made significant contributions to space exploration, renewable energy, electric vehicles, and tunnelling technology. Elon Musk’s ventures, such as SpaceX’s successful reusable rockets and Tesla’s advancements in electric vehicles, have disrupted industries and pushed the boundaries of what is possible. His determination to tackle pressing global challenges like climate change has garnered him widespread recognition and influence.

Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos is an American entrepreneur and business magnate. He is the founder of Amazon.com, the world’s largest online retailer, which he started in 1994 as an online bookstore. Under Jeff Bezos’ leadership, Amazon expanded into a diverse range of products and services, including e-commerce, cloud computing, streaming media, and artificial intelligence. Jeff Bezos’ relentless focus on customer satisfaction and his emphasis on long-term growth has propelled Amazon to become a dominant force in global retail and technology. In addition to his business success, Jeff Bezos is known for his bold vision, willingness to take risks, and his investments in space exploration through Blue Origin. As one of the wealthiest individuals in the world, Jeff Bezos has a significant impact on various industries and continues to shape the future of e-commerce and beyond.

Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett is an American investor, business tycoon, and philanthropist. Known as the “Oracle of Omaha,” Warren Buffett is widely regarded as one of the most successful investors in history. He is the Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, a multinational conglomerate that owns numerous companies across various industries. Warren Buffett’s investment approach focuses on value investing and long-term strategies, earning him a reputation for his disciplined and patient approach to stock market investments. Additionally, Warren Buffett is known for his philanthropic efforts, pledging the majority of his wealth to charitable causes through the Giving Pledge. With his wisdom, business acumen, and philanthropic endeavours, Warren Buffett has become an iconic figure in the world of investing and a role model for many aspiring entrepreneurs.

Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg is an American entrepreneur and computer programmer. He co-founded Facebook, the world’s largest social networking platform, in 2004 while studying at Harvard University. Under his leadership, Facebook has grown exponentially, connecting billions of people worldwide and reshaping the way we communicate and share information. Mark Zuckerberg’s vision and drive have propelled him to become one of the youngest billionaires in the world. Despite facing numerous challenges and controversies, he remains committed to evolving Facebook and expanding its reach, with a focus on privacy, connectivity, and innovation. Mark Zuckerberg’s impact on the digital landscape and social media has been profound, making him a prominent figure in the technology industry.

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey is an American media mogul, talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist. Known for her influential television show, “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” which ran for 25 years, she became one of the most successful and recognizable figures in the media industry. Oprah Winfrey’s show covered a wide range of topics, from self-improvement to social issues, and she used her platform to inspire and empower millions of viewers worldwide. Beyond her television success, she has ventured into film production, launched her own television network (OWN), and established herself as a prominent philanthropist, supporting education, women’s empowerment, and various charitable causes. Oprah Winfrey’s charisma, authenticity, and commitment to making a positive impact have solidified her as an icon in the entertainment and philanthropic spheres.

Richard Branson

Richard Branson is a British business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is the founder of the Virgin Group, a conglomerate with businesses spanning various sectors, including music, airlines, telecommunications, and space tourism. Richard Branson is known for his adventurous spirit, charismatic personality, and unconventional leadership style. He has built a reputation for challenging established norms and taking risks. Richard Branson’s notable achievements include the success of Virgin Records, the launch of Virgin Atlantic Airways, and the development of Virgin Galactic, a commercial space travel venture. He is also actively involved in environmental and social initiatives, advocating for sustainable business practices. With his entrepreneurial prowess and passion for innovation, Richard Branson has left an indelible mark on the business world.

Henry Ford

Henry Ford was an American industrialist and founder of the Ford Motor Company. He revolutionized the automotive industry by developing the assembly line production system, enabling the mass production of affordable automobiles. Ford’s Model T, introduced in 1908, became an iconic vehicle that made car ownership accessible to the middle class. His innovative manufacturing techniques set new standards for efficiency and productivity. Henry Ford’s vision of providing reliable, affordable transportation for all transformed society and spurred economic growth. He also implemented the concept of paying workers fair wages, contributing to the rise of the middle class. Henry Ford’s contributions to the industry and his impact on modern manufacturing have left an enduring legacy.

Walt Disney

Walt Disney was an American entrepreneur, animator, and film producer. He co-founded The Walt Disney Company, one of the world’s largest and most influential entertainment conglomerates. Walt Disney’s creative vision and dedication to storytelling led to the creation of iconic characters such as Mickey Mouse and beloved films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia, and Cinderella. He pioneered the concept of animated feature films and later expanded the company’s reach into television, theme parks, and merchandising. Walt Disney’s Disneyland, which opened in 1955, revolutionized the amusement park industry. His enduring legacy lies in his ability to enchant audiences of all ages and create a world of magic and imagination.

These entrepreneurs have not only achieved remarkable success but have also left a lasting impact on their industries and the world.

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“2022 was a tough year, with a bumpy start but a brighter finish,” Netflix said in its fourth-quarter earnings report.

However, Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings resigned as CEO, thus ending his 25-year leadership stint that witnessed the company grow from a rent-by-mail DVD service to an entertainment powerhouse.

Reed Hastings handed over leadership responsibilities to his two long-time associates Chief Operating Officer Greg Peters and Ted Sarandos.

Ted Sarandos, who has been the face of Netflix in Hollywood, will take over as co-CEO.

“It feels like yesterday was our IPO; we were covered in red envelopes. Hopefully, some of you have held the stock for all 21 years,” Reed Hastings said.

Netflix became a publicly traded company in 2002 at an opening price of USD 15 a share. Its shares were up nearly 7% to USD 337.31 in after-market trades after the fourth quarter earnings report came out.

Reed Hastings will now hold the new job of executive chairman, thus following the footsteps of Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Microsoft’s Bill Gates.

Netflix earned some 7.7 million new subscribers in the last three months of 2022, thus bringing its membership to an all-time high of 230 million people.

Netflix’s line-up of new shows attracted users to a new lower-priced “Basic with Ads” subscription.

Revenue in the October to December period was at USD 7.85 billion, thus following the estimates. Instead of counting the subscribers’ numbers, the video streaming platform will now use its revenue flow to decide the company’s fiscal health.

For 2023, Netflix also aims to cancel the practice of non-subscribed viewers using passwords shared by subscribers to binge-watch their favourite shows.

“We have high confidence in our ability to accelerate revenue throughout the course of the year as we scale ads and we launch paid sharing (of accounts),” said Netflix chief financial officer Spencer Neumann.

Netflix’s strong show comes amid fierce pressure from rivals such as Disney+, which has also introduced an ad-based subscription. However, while Disney, Amazon and other tech giants are getting hammered in the market right now, Netflix has garnered confidence from Wall Street with its share price up almost 50% in the latter half of 2022.

Netflix will also roll out paid sharing in 2023, and it hopes that this will “result in a very different quarterly paid net ads pattern in 2023, with paid net ads likely to be greater in Q2’23 than in Q1’23.”

“While our terms of use limit use of Netflix to a household, we recognize this is a change for members who share their account more broadly. As we roll out paid sharing, members in many countries will also have the option to pay extra if they want to share Netflix with people they don’t live with,” Netflix mentioned in a report, while mentioning that the widespread account sharing causes a dent to Netflix’s business opportunities. The company also expects paid sharing and ads offering will help reaccelerate its revenue growth.

With paid sharing, Netflix subscribers will have the option to share passwords with their loved ones by paying an extra charge, with an “add a home” feature. While a subscriber will pay for each home that he/she buys for his family and friends.

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Elon Musk lost USD 15.5 billion as Tesla’s shares experienced their most significant one-day drop in four months, falling 8.6%. According to Reuters, the market reduced the carmaker’s market worth by more than USD 71 billion due to the share price decline. However, Elon Musk still tops the list of wealthiest people in the world despite this enormous loss.

On the other hand, Gautam Adani’s companies’ stock market shares also plummeted. Adani Power, Adani Wilmar, Adani Enterprises, Adani Ports, Adani Green, and Adani Total Gas were among the companies in his business conglomerate that experienced a drop. During the day, the 60-year-old tycoon lost USD 9.67 billion.

Recently, Adani Total Gas Limited Shares fell 7.90% to trade at 3,076, while Adani Power fell 4.99% to close at 354.85. Adani Wilmar closed at 717.75 and had a lower circuit of 5%. On the other hand, Adani Enterprises experienced an 8.42% decline and finished the day at 3,164.75. Adani Energy’s shares fell 7.65% to settle at 2,087.85, while Adani Port’s shares closed at 784.95.

After Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, and Bernard Arnault, the head of Louis Vuitton, Gautam Adani, who had recently ascended to second on the billionaire’s list, has been demoted to the fourth position. Mukesh Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries, is ranked tenth with an estimated worth of USD 81.9 billion.

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In a blog post, Amazon said that the promise of drone delivery is like science fiction. Lockeford citizens will be one of the first citizens in the world to receive Prime Air deliveries. Amazon also said their feedback about Prime Air in Lockeford would help the company scale the drone delivery model globally.

Lockeford has a population of about 4000 people, and the drones would drop packages in their backyard.

The company stated that human beings would not control the drones and would instead have visual sensors that help them avoid aircraft, people, pets, and other obstacles.

The retailer said that they hope to deliver packages within an hour with this innovation.

However, critics argue that Amazon has been using drone delivery to grab headlines for some time.

In 2013, former CEO Jeff Bezos assured his customer base that he would fill the skies with a fleet of delivery drones in less than a decade. In 2019, they iterated the same assurance and said drones would deliver packages within months.

In April, Bloomberg highlighted the safety hazards of Amazon’s drone fleets. However, the e-commerce company defended its drones saying they are “rigorously” tested and follow “all applicable regulations.”

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Here is the list of billionaires who now control vast swathes of the media landscape:

Elon Musk:

Last week, the world’s richest person agreed to pay $44 billion for Twitter, promising to unleash its amazing potential to advance free expression and democracy around the world.

Jeff Bezos:

In 2013, the Amazon founder and the world’s second-richest person paid $250 million for the Washington Post. The Washington Post was losing money when Bezos took it, and he described the business model as upside down.

Mark Zuckerberg:

Zuckerberg’s social empire extends beyond Facebook. He bought Instagram in 2012 worth $1 billion and WhatsApp in 2014 for $16 billion. Facebook changed its name to Meta late last year to reflect Zuckerberg’s goal to dominate the metaverse, which he describes as the next frontier.

The Barclay Brothers:

Billionaire twins David and Frederick Barclay purchased the Telegraph brands and the Spectator magazine in 2004. The European, The Scotsman, and the Sunday Business were originally owned by the brothers.

Lord Rothermere:

Jonathan Harmsworth, a great-grandson of one of the Mail’s co-founders, paid £1.6 billion to take the paper’s owner, The Daily Mail and General Trust (DGMT), private after 90 years as a public corporation.

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Blue Origin is a company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Other partners for these launches include United Launch Associate—a joint venture between aerospace majors Lockheed Martin and Boeing. Among the 83 launches, the first two launches are scheduled for before the end of this calendar year. A majority of the rest of the launches will take place between 2024 and 2027 as two of the vehicles finalized for heavy-duty launches are still under development.

Currently, SpaceX enjoys sort of a first-mover advantage having already launched its own constellation of thousands of small satellites in the lower orbit. According to a 2019 Federal Communications Commission application, Amazon aims to put as many as 3,236 such satellites into space and it wants to install 50% of its total target by 2026. Other brands in the segment include Telesat and OneWeb.

At the time of the announcement, one Amazon spokesperson had said that this was the largest satellite vehicle launch deal amounting to billions of dollars without specifying the actual cost of all these launches combined. According to some estimates, the bills for these launches can go well beyond $10 billion.

As a fallout of these marquee deals, some space experts fear that all these launchers recruited to work with Amazon will leave many operators who want to replace old satellites or launch new ones with very few alternatives.

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The new team created by Amazon will be based in Cambridge and will on Amazon
Scout, Amazon’s fully-electric autonomous delivery service.

Sean Scott, Vice President of Amazon Scout, wrote in a blog post, “Our investment in this
new Amazon Scout team in the UK, which will consist of dozens of engineers, is driven
by our partnership with the Cambridge community and made possible by the talented
people who live here.”

“The team in Cambridge will work closely with the Amazon Scout research lab in
Seattle, US to develop on-system software to help Scout delivery devices safely and
autonomously navigate around pedestrians, pets, and obstacles found in residential
neighbourhoods such as recycling bins and sign posts,” Scott said.

Amazon Scout is still in the field test mode and is being used in the US; however, with
growing demand in the UK as well, Amazon has decided to accelerate the development
of the programme in the UK as well.

Reportedly, Amazon is also planning to hire 7,000 new employee to work on a
permanent basis in the UK, bringing the total number hired by the company this year in
the country to 10,000.

Earlier this year, Amazon founder and world’s richest man Jeff Bezos invested in UK-
based logistics startup Beacon.

The startup raised around $15 million in its Series A funding round. Besides Jeff Bezos,
other participants in the funding round for Beacon include leading US venture capital
firm 8VC.

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