Mackenzie Bezos, Donates Half of Her $36 Billion Fortune to Charity
The former wife of Amazon Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos, who is also the richest man of the world, becomes one of the 19 people who joined the “Giving Pledge” recently.
MacKenzie Bezos who is ranked among the top five richest women of the world has recently pledged to give away, half of her $36 billion fortune to charity, following a donation campaign, which is initiated by billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates.
The former wife of Amazon Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos, who is also the richest man of the world, becomes one of the 19 people who joined the “Giving Pledge” recently.
The “Giving Pledge” campaign calls for the super-rich people to come forward and give away more than half of their fortunes during their lifetimes or in their wills is started by Warren Buffet of Berkshire Hathway Inc and Bill Gates of Microsoft Corp in the year 2010.
In a statement, Mackenzie Bezos said, “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”.
According to Forbes Magazine, MacKenzie Bezos has become the third richest woman in the world, after acquiring a 4% stake in Amazon, which is worth about $36 billion, following the announcement of her and Jeff Bezos’s divorce settlement on 4rth April this year.
Jeff Bezos, whose net worth this year is estimated by Forbes at $131 billion was quick to congratulate his ex-wife’s new philanthropic endeavor.
He wrote on Twitter, “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”.
Jeff Bezos, who now tops the Forbes list of world billionaires, is not among the 204 wealthy people, who have committed and are part of the “Giving Pledge” campaign. The 204 wealthy people are from across the 23 countries and who represents a wide range of fields, which includes healthcare, finance, technology, and real estate development.
Other top 10 billionaires according to the Forbes Magazine, who have not joined the ‘Giving Pledge’ campaign are Bernard Arnault, head of French luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, Carlos Slim, the Mexican telecommunications magnate, Amancio Ortega, the European fashion retail mogul and Google co-founder and Alphabet CEO Larry Page.
The pledge that signatories make, by being a part of the campaign is a moral commitment to give, not a legal contract according to its website.