By Haritha Olaganathan
US billionaires saw their collective wealth increase by $282 billion in the first twenty-three days of lockdown.
Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg is the biggest financial reaper, as shares in the social media company have surged by almost 60% over the past two months. Another profiteer includes CEO of Amazon Jeff Bezos, whose wealth has increased by $25 billion since April 15th 2020. Bezos, the richest man in the world, currently boasts a net worth of $146.9 billion, and is expected to become the world’s first trillionaire by 2026.
Whilst the super-rich manipulate this pandemic to churn out maximum profits, billions of workers are subject to inhuman levels of pay and gruelling working conditions. Covid-19 has provoked workers at Amazon to organise against their sickening treatment, notably walking out of warehouses to demand proper PPE and hazard pay as part of May Day protests.
