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Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said in an interview with CNN that he plans to donate most of his wealth to charity within his lifetime, the first time he’s made such a pledge.
Bezos is currently the fourth wealthiest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of $124.1 billion, per Forbes.
In an interview with CNN’s Chloe Melas that aired Monday, Bezos confirmed that he intends to donate the majority of his wealth to charitable causes. Philanthropy “is really hard,” Bezos said in the interview. “We’re building the capacity to be able to give away this money.”
According to Bezos, most of his donations will go toward fighting climate change and people who can unify humanity in the face of deep social and political divisions.
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In 2020, the Amazon founder announced the formation of the Bezos Earth Fund that will grant $10 billion over 10 years to scientists, activists, and non-governmental organizations “to help preserve and protect the natural world.” To date, Bezos has not officially signed on to the Giving Pledge, which encourages high net-worth individuals to commit to giving away more than half their wealth.
Bezos was interviewed by CNN alongside wife Lauren Sánchez. On Saturday, the couple announced that Dolly Parton was the $100 million grant recipient of the Bezos Courage and Civility Award. Bezos has previously given the award to celebrity chef Jose Andrés and CNN contributor Van Jones.
Bezos married Sánchez, the ex-wife of Endeavor executive chairman Patrick Whitesell, in 2021. Under his 2019 divorce settlement with MacKenzie Scott, she received 25% of the shares in Amazon that had been jointly held by the couple. Scott pledged to donate at least half her wealth to charitable causes and has given away an estimated $12.8 billion to more than 1,200 organizations.
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