McKenzie Bezos is worth $37 billion after divorcing Jeff and is giving half to charity
McKenzie Bezos, the now-ex wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has announced she will be donating half of her massive fortune to charity.
The former novelist finalised her divorce from Jeff a few months ago and immediately became one of the wealthiest people in the world in her own right.
She has signed up to the Giving Pledge, launched by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, which prompts wealthy folk to give away their fortunes.
‘I have a disproportionate amount of money to share,’ she said in a letter announcing her involvement with the pledge.
‘My approach to philanthropy will continue to be thoughtful. It will take time and effort and care. But I won’t wait. And I will keep at it until the safe is empty,’ she said.
She is one of 19 new individuals who have signed up to the pledge. Another was Brian Acton, the co-founder of WhatsApp.
McKenzie Bezos’ personal net worth is now believed to sit at around $36.6 billion, putting her at number 22 on the list of wealthiest people, according to Bloomberg.
Her ex-husband still vastly outstrips her with a net worth of roughly $114 billion. Jeff Bezos is spending his money on acquiring the Washington Post and building his private space company Blue Origin, which will compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Jeff Bezos also has his own philanthropic organisation: Bezos Day One Fund, which he founded with McKenzie before they divorced.
Following the announcement that McKenzie and others were joining the Giving Pledge, legendary investor Warren Buffet said: ‘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.’