MacKenzie Bezos to give away half her fortune
MacKenzie Bezos, whose divorce from Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos became final this year, is pledging to give away half her fortune to charity.
The novelist said Tuesday that she signed the Giving Pledge, a campaign to get the ultrawealthy to pledge at least half their fortunes to charitable causes. It was created in 2010 by billionaire investor Warren Buffett and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda Gates.
Those who join can give away their money while they are alive or give instructions in their wills. They also decide where and how their money is donated.
In a letter Tuesday, MacKenzie Bezos did not say how she plans to give her money away. The divorce leaves her with a 4% stake in the online shopping giant, currently worth more than $36 billion.
“I have a disproportionate amount of money to share,” she said in her letter.
Jeff Bezos, who hasn’t signed the Giving Pledge, tweeted his support: “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.”
The Bezoses, who have four children, announced they were divorcing in January, ahead of a National Enquirer story that revealed Jeff Bezos was having an affair with a former television host. He later accused the tabloid’s publisher of threatening to publish explicit photos he sent to his lover unless he stopped investigating how the Enquirer obtained the private messages. The National Enquirer has denied the accusation.
Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon as an online bookstore more than two decades ago, has become the world’s richest man thanks to Amazon’s soaring stock price. His stake in the company after the divorce is worth more than $108 billion.
He has wrestled with how to give away some of his fortune, asking his Twitter followers in 2017 for philanthropic ideas. Last year, he committed $2 billion to a charitable fund that will focus on opening preschools in low-income neighborhoods and donate money to nonprofits that helps homeless families. So far, he has given $100 million to that fund. In the past, he has also said that he sees his selffunded space exploration company, Blue Origin, and his purchase of the Washington Post newspaper as “contributing to society and civilization.”
On Tuesday, the Giving Pledge said that MacKenzie Bezos was one of 19 new people or couples who had joined the effort, bringing the total number to 204. Others who have signed the pledge include Tesla CEO Elon Musk and oil baron T. Boone Pickens.