Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to give most of his money to charity
- Billionaire businessman said he plans to give away most of his $124 billion fortune in his lifetime
Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos said he plans to give the bulk of his fortune, estimated at $124 billion, to charity during his lifetime.
In an interview with CNN, the billionaire said he would donate most of his net worth to fighting climate change and supporting people who can help unify the fractured political landscape.
“We have big problems in the world and the way to get big problems done is to work together," Mr. Bezos told CNN during an interview with his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez at his Washington, D.C., home.
It was the first time Mr. Bezos, 58 years old, had promised to give away much of his earnings, according to CNN. He hasn’t signed on to the Giving Pledge, a campaign started in 2010 by Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates, his now ex-wife Melinda French Gates and billionaire Warren Buffett to try to kick-start a new era of philanthropy.
The nonbinding pledge now includes more than 230 people from 28 countries, including Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Elon Musk and Meta Platforms Inc. founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan.
It also includes Mr. Bezos’ ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, who played an instrumental role in creating the online retail shopping company that made them both billionaires.
Ms. Scott, who received 4% of the company’s shares as part of their divorce settlement, vowed to give away the majority of her wealth in 2019. She has donated at least $12 billion as of this year to more than 1,000 organizations, relief efforts and other causes, according to her Medium posts.
Mr. Bezos and Ms. Sanchez on Friday named Dolly Parton this year’s recipient of the Bezos Courage and Civility Award, and gave her a $100 million grant to spend on any charity she wishes.
Ms. Sanchez posted a clip of the award speech on her Instagram and said Ms. Parton is a “woman who gives with her heart and leads with love and compassion in every aspect of her work."
This is the third Courage and Civility Award given by Mr. Bezos. He made similar grants to Spanish chef José Andrés, who runs the World Central Kitchen and provides free meals on the front line of humanitarian crises, and climate advocate and CNN contributor Van Jones.
Mr. Bezos also commented on reports that he and entertainment mogul Jay-Z are in talks on a potential joint bid for the Washington Commanders.
“I’ve heard that buzz," Mr. Bezos said.
“I grew up in Houston, Texas, and I played football growing up as a kid," he said, noting that it is his favorite sport and that “we’ll just have to wait and see."
This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text
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