Netflix's Hastings Steals Spotlight With Top Wealth Gain in 2018

(Bloomberg) -- Reed Hastings is off to a good start in 2018.

The 57-year-old Netflix Inc. founder has seen his wealth rise 47 percent so far this year to a record $4.1 billion on Friday, earning him a spot on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index of the world’s 500 richest people for the first time.

Netflix shares closed at a record last week as investors continued to cheer results for 2017 that shattered subscription-growth expectations.

The percentage gain in Hastings’ fortune this year is more than double that of other tech tycoons including Amazon.com Inc.’s Jeff Bezos, Facebook Inc.’s Mark Zuckerberg and Alphabet Inc.’s Sergey Brin and Larry Page.

--With assistance from Jack Witzig

To contact the reporter on this story: Tom Metcalf in New York at tmetcalf7@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Pierre Paulden at ppaulden@bloomberg.net, Steven Crabill, Steve Dickson

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