MacKenzie Scott has given away $16.5 billion of her fortune so far. Matthew Staver/Bloomberg via Getty Images
MacKenzie Scott sold 65.3 million shares of Amazon.com Inc. last year, representing about a quarter of her stake in the company, according to a regulatory filing.
At Friday's closing price, these shares would be worth $10.4 billion.
After her divorce from Jeff Bezos in 2019, Scott ended up owning about 4% of the tech giant, a stake that was worth around $37 billion at the time. Although it has divested about half of its shares in the past five years, Amazon still accounts for the bulk of its $37.6 billion net worth, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Without her unparalleled philanthropy, her fortune would be much greater. Since splitting from Bezos, Scott has donated more than $16.5 billion to a variety of charities – a huge sum even for one of the richest people in the world. Scott publishes a list of recipients on her website, including more than 360 organizations that received a total of $2.15 billion last year.
In 2019, Scott signed the Giving Pledge, a non-binding pledge by billionaires to donate the majority of their wealth.
“In addition to the assets life has built within me, I have a disproportionate amount of money to share,” she wrote in a letter on the Giving Pledge website. “My approach to philanthropy will continue to be thoughtful. It will take time, effort and care. But I won't wait. And I’ll stick with it until the safe is empty.”
Scott could not be reached for comment.
Bezos, who is worth $184.1 billion, has not signed the Giving Pledge but told CNN in 2022 that he planned to give away most of his wealth.