Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos Commits To Giving Away Majority Of His $124B Fortune To Charity

Jeff Bezos

Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos Commits To Giving Away Majority Of His $124B Fortune To Charity

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos plans to give away the majority of his $124 billion net worth during his lifetime to various charities and organizations.

During a recent interview with CNN, Jeff Bezos revealed that he plans on devoting the bulk of his wealth to fighting climate change and supporting people who can unify humanity in the face of deep social and political divisions.

Bezos and his partner Lauren Sanchez announced Dolly Parton as the recipient of this year’s Bezos Courage and Civility Award. The iconic singer and philanthropist will be awarded $100 million, which will go toward her various charities. When asked why they chose Parton, Bezos said,

“Look at what she’s done and how she’s led her life. And the way she’s done it, these bold things always with civility and kindness. She’s a unifier.” 

jeff bezos

Echoing a similar sentiment Lauren Sanchez added,

“When you think of Dolly–look, everyone smiles, right? She is just beaming with light. And all she wants to do is bring light into other people’s worlds. And so we couldn’t have thought of someone better than to give this award to Dolly, and we know she’s going to do amazing things with it.”

Dolly Parton

Despite being the fourth-wealthiest person in the world, Jeff Bezos has refrained from setting a specific amount to give away in his lifetime. According to reports, Bezos has committed $10 billion over 10 years, or about 8% of his current net worth, to the Bezos Earth Fund, which Sanchez co-chairs.

Among its priorities are reducing the carbon footprint of construction-grade cement and steel; pushing financial regulators to consider climate-related risks; advancing data and mapping technologies to monitor carbon emissions; and building natural, plant-based carbon sinks on a large scale.

As for being partners and working closely together, Sanchez said the couple make

“really great teammates.”

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below! 

[Source: 1, 2 ]