MacKenzie Bezos donates half her Amazon fortune to charity
The divorce of Jeff and Mackenzie Bezos was tipped to be the most expensive split in history. Photo: Getty
The ex-wife of Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has pledged to donate half her massive divorce settlement to charity.
MacKenzie Bezos finalised her divorce from the world’s richest man in early April and reportedly got a stake in the online shopping giant worth an estimated $36.6 billion.
Ms Bezos signed onto the so-called Giving Pledge, an initiative started by Investor Warren Buffett and Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
The campaign, which has 204 pledgers, encourages the super-wealthy to give away at least half of their wealth.
The list includes former New York mayor and businessman Michael Bloomberg, Emirati Sheik Mohammed Musallam Bin Ham Al-Ameri and Barron Hilton, businessman and son of hotelier Conrad Hilton.
In a letter posted to the website for the Giving Pledge, Ms Bezos said: “We each come by the gifts we have to offer by an infinite series of influences and lucky breaks we can never fully understand.”
“In addition to whatever assets life has nurtured in me, I have a disproportionate amount of money to share.
“My approach to philanthropy will continue to be thoughtful. It will take time and effort and care,” she said.
— MacKenzie Scott (@mackenziescott) April 4, 2019
Ms Bezos, whose personal fortune is now worth an estimated $US36.6 billion ($52.79 billion), ranks 22nd on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
She was one of 19 people on Tuesday to sign the “Giving Pledge” campaign, which was established in 2010 by 40 of the wealthiest people in the US.
“The generosity of this group is a reflection of the inspiration we take from the many millions of people who work quietly and effectively to create a better world for others, often at great personal sacrifice,” Mr Buffett said in a statement Tuesday.
Jeff Bezos, whose net worth is roughly US$114 billion ($164.42 billion) and leads the global rankings, is notably absent from the list.
However Mr Bezos publicly praised his ex-wife’s philanthropic move, tweeting “Go get ’em MacKenzie”.
“MacKenzie is going to be amazing and thoughtful and effective at philanthropy and I’m proud of her,” he tweeted.
MacKenzie is going to be amazing and thoughtful and effective at philanthropy, and I’m proud of her. Her letter is so beautiful. Go get ‘em MacKenzie. https://t.co/S2gLLBQyRQ
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) May 28, 2019
-with agencies.
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