MacKenzie Bezos will give half of her $36bn fortune away to charity

'I have a disproportionate amount of money to share'

MacKenzie Bezos announces she will be giving half her fortune away (Getty)

MacKenzie Bezos has announced she intends to donate at least half her fortune to charity through the initiative the Giving Pledge, just a month after finalising her divorce from Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos.

On Tuesday, MacKenzie, 49, who is now one of the richest women in the world, wrote a letter explaining her dedication to the cause, which encourages billionaires to give back.

“We each come by the gifts we have to offer by an infinite series of influences and lucky breaks we can never fully understand,” she wrote. “In addition to whatever assets life has nurtured in me, I have a disproportionate amount of money to share.

“My approach to philanthropy will continue to be thoughtful. It will take time and effort and care. But I won’t wait.”

The Giving Pledge was launched by Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates in 2010 and has since been signed by more than 200 individuals and their families, including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Airbnb co-founder Brian Chesky.

According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, MacKenzie is worth an estimated $36.6bn (£28.8bn). Jeff Bezos, the richest person in the world, has an estimated net worth of more $114bn (£89.9bn).

On Twitter, the Amazon founder praised his ex-wife’s decision, writing: “MacKenzie is going to be amazing and thoughtful and effective at philanthropy, and I’m proud of her.

“Her letter is so beautiful. Go get ‘em MacKenzie.”

MacKenzie, an author and one of Amazon’s first employees, was one of 19 individuals to pledge their commitment to the Giving Pledge on Tuesday.

Other philanthropists include Paul Sciarra the co-founder of Pinterest and Brian Acton, the co-founder of WhatsApp.

Of the new members, Buffett said in a statement: “The generosity of this group is a reflection of the inspiration we take from the many millions of people who work quietly and effectively to create a better world for others, often at great personal sacrifice.”

Jeff Bezos himself is not among the 204 individuals who have signed the pledge, however, the tech billionaire announced in 2018 that he would be donating $2bn (£1.58bn) to funding “existing non-profits that help homeless families, and creating a network of new, non-profit, tier-one preschools in low income communities”.

The couple, who have four children together, announced their decision to separate in January.

As part of the divorce, MacKenzie retained four per cent of Amazon’s stock, making her the fourth-richest woman in the world.