MacKenzie Bezos, the former wife of the world’s wealthiest man Jeff Bezos, has committed to giving at least half of her fortune to charity following her divorce from the Amazon founder and Washington Post owner.
The Giving Pledge — an initiative launched by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett that encourages the world’s most affluent people to give at least half of their wealth to charitable causes — announced on Tuesday that new billionaire MacKenzie Bezos has signed the commitment.
“I have a disproportionate amount of money to share,” said MacKenzie Bezos in an open letter recently published by the Giving 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.”
Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos announced that they were getting a divorce after 25 years of marriage amid reports of the Amazon founder’s extramarital affairs, which included leaked text messages to his mistress and naked selfies. By April, the two had disclosed in separate Twitter statements that their divorce was finalized.
Following her divorce, MacKenzie Bezos became one of the wealthiest people in the world, ranking at number 22 on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, with a total net worth of $36.6 billion, while her former husband Jeff Bezos still remains at number 1 with a total net worth of $114 billion.
“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,” said Warren Buffett in a statement on Tuesday.
MacKenzie Bezos was one of 19 new additions to commit to the Giving Pledge. The group of signatories also included the co-founder of WhatsApp, Brian Acton, the co-founder of Pinterest, Paul Sciarra, and the CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, Brian Armstrong.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Twitter at @ARmastrangelo and on Instagram.
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