Amazon founder and multi-billionaire Jeff Bezos said he plans to donate most of his wealth to charity during his lifetime in a CNN interview aired Monday.
At the question “Do you plan to donate the majority of your wealth during your lifetime?“, the entrepreneur replied: “Oui“.
This is the first time that the 58-year-old businessman has made such a commitment publicly. In particular, he did not sign the “Pledge of donation”, an initiative launched in 2010 by the Americans Warren Buffett and Bill Gates which encourages billionaires to give more than half of their wealth to charities.
According to Bloomberg, Jeff Bezos is currently worth $124 billion, making him the fourth richest person in the world.
It was once at the top of the charts but its fortunes, largely tied to Amazon’s, have declined as the company’s stock has fallen over the past year.
Jeff Bezos also owns the daily Washington Post, the space company Blue Origin and the Bezos Earth Fund, a fund dedicated to the planet that he launched in 2020 by endowing it with 10 billion dollars.
The entrepreneur wants to ensure that his donations are used as efficiently as possible. “We build capabilities“to do it, he said during the interview where he appeared alongside his partner Lauren Sanchez.
Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, whose fortune is estimated at nearly $24 billion, has already pledged to donate at least half of her wealth to charity by signing in 2019, shortly after his divorce, the “Promise of donation”.
She had shaken up the world of philanthropy in early 2021 by donating $6 billion to various organizations with no restrictions or requirements attached to her contributions.