MacKenzie Scott, Billionaire Philanthropist, Attends Vanity Fair Oscar Party on March 4, 2018, in Beverly Hills, California.
MacKenzie Scott, ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has continued her trend of selling substantial amounts of Amazon stock, liquidating nearly 65.3 million shares valued at over $10 billion in 2023, as indicated by a recent filing.
Following her 2019 divorce settlement, Scott became the world’s wealthiest woman, acquiring 19.7 million Amazon shares, equivalent to 4% of the company’s outstanding shares. Since then, she has systematically sold portions of her Amazon holdings, directing the proceeds towards charitable donations.
Jeff Bezos retained voting rights for Scott’s shares per their divorce agreement, prompting him to disclose his 11.5% stake in Amazon to the SEC.
In 2019, Scott committed to the Giving Pledge, joining a cohort of the world’s wealthiest individuals, such as Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg, who pledge to donate the majority of their wealth. Bezos, while not a signatory, expressed intentions to allocate a significant portion of his wealth to combatting climate change and supporting causes that foster unity among humanity during a 2022 CNN interview.
In a December announcement, Scott revealed that her foundation, Yield Giving, had contributed $2.15 billion to 360 organizations over the past year.
Despite Scott’s substantial divestment of Amazon shares in recent years, her net worth remains formidable, exceeding $37 billion, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index.
