Jeff Bezos says he will give away most of his fortune

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has said he will give away most of his wealth in his lifetime, becoming the latest billionaire to pledge to give away much of his massive fortune.

Bezos, whose “real-time” worth has been estimated by Forbes magazine at approximately $124.1 billion, made the announcement in a joint interview for with his girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez, which aired on Monday. The billionaire did not specify how — or to whom — he will deliver the money, but said the couple was building the “capacity” to do so.

“The hard part is figuring out how to do it properly,” Bezos said during the interview. “Is not easy. Building Amazon was not easy. It required a lot of hard work and very smart teammates. And I’m finding—and Lauren is finding—that philanthropy is very similar. Is not easy. Is very complicated”.

Bezos has come under fire for not signing the Giving Pledge, the campaign launched by Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates and Warren Buffet to encourage billionaires to donate the majority of their wealth through philanthropy.

His ex-wife, McKenzie Scott, signed that pledge in 2019 and has since become a formidable force in the world of philanthropy, showering charities across the country with unexpected — and often secret — contributions. In the past three years, she has donated more than $12 billion to historically black colleges and universities, women’s rights groups, and other nonprofit organizations.

Bezos, who divorced Scott in 2019, stepped down as Amazon chief executive last year to devote more time to philanthropy and other projects. Among other donations, he pledged $10 billion to combat climate change as part of his Bezos Earth Fund initiative. Last year, he donated $510.7 million to charity, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

On Saturday, Bezos and Sanchez announced they will award a $100 million grant with no strings attached to singer Dolly Parton, who has been praised for her philanthropic work that helped create Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. Bezos had awarded a similar grant to chef José Andrés and commentator Van Jones last year.

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