MacKenzie Bezos pledges half her fortune to charity
NEW YORK (AP) — MacKenzie Bezos, who finalized her divorce from Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos earlier 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 ultra-wealthy to pledge at least half their fortune 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 currently worth more than $36 billion in the online shopping giant.
"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, first announced they were divorcing in January ahead of a National Enquirer story that revealed Jeff Bezos was having an affair with a former TV 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 surging stock price. His stake in the company after the divorce is worth more than $108 billion.
He has wrestled with how to give away...