Billionaire and Amazon co-founder MacKenzie Scott has spent over $19 billion in the last 5 years on charity

News JVTech Billionaire and Amazon co-founder MacKenzie Scott has spent over $19 billion in the last 5 years on charity

When we talk about Amazon, we usually think of Jeff Bezos, who is presented as the founder of the e-commerce company. But it would be a mistake to forget MacKenzie Scott, who was married to Jeff Bezos at the time and helped him found his online sales empire. MacKenzie Scott is, thus, considered to be co-founder of Amazon. And when she divorced Jeff Bezos in 2019, following the latter’s infidelities, she collected a fortune estimated at around $35 billion.

MacKenzie Scott could have taken it easy for the rest of her life living in a luxurious villa. But she chose another path. Remarried since 2021 to a science teacher who works in a high school, she does not really lead the life of an ordinary billionaire.

A philanthropic life “based on trust”

The site Fortune revealed in December 2024 that MacKenzie Scott has already donated around $19 billion since 2019. Over the last five years, the billionaire has surrounded herself with a whole team to advise her to make the best use of your money. Investment funds, charities and companies in line with his convictions were thus able to benefit from his money.

MacKenzie Scott is particularly involved in issues related to poverty. And the scale of her donations makes her one of the greatest philanthropists in the world today. “She creates an incredible role model for philanthropists, although I don’t see many people following her path”said Gabrielle Fitzgerald, founder and CEO of The Panorama Group which advises the billionaire. She believes that the example of MacKenzie Scott proves thatit is possible to give “a lot of money to good organizations” thanks to what the wealthy businesswoman describes as “philanthropy based on trust”. Thus, 2,450 non-profit organizations have already received money from MacKenzie Scott, without any conditions attached to the donations in question.

Actions that contrast with those of Jeff Bezos

MacKenzie Scott’s fortune is mostly made up of Amazon shares, and since her divorce, the value of her shares has increased enormously. Result : Despite donating more than $19 billion, Forbes magazine estimates that MacKenzie Scott still has a fortune of around $31 billion.

Many analysts believe that MacKenzie Scott’s donations and investments have already contributed to improving the quality of life of the poorest populations in the United Statesin particular by making access to housing easier for these social classes. Enough to contrast quite radically with the way in which Jeff Bezos, her ex-husband, spends his money. The latter has a fortune currently estimated at 238 billion dollars, and, even if he has declared that he wants to donate it to charity during his lifetime, for the moment, he is mainly enjoying himself: mega yacht and private jet, he refuses you nothing, even if it means shocking public opinion with these not very eco-friendly hobbies. However, everyone does what they want with their money…