The saga involving Jeff Bezos earlier this year almost reads like a script for an upcoming Netflix drama. All the ingredients are there: a famous CEO who just so happens to be the richest man in the world, an illicit affair involving trips around the world, leaked nudes and text messages, possible hacking, and an extortion attempt from a notorious gossip rag that was seemingly bankrolled by a foreign government.
Without getting into all of the seedy details involving the National Enquirer’s efforts to extort Bezos, a quick overview of the events might be helpful. In short, Bezos in February explained why he was not going to give in to the extortion attempt in a post on Medium.
One month later, the man Bezos hired to investigate the ordeal published an incredibly thorough report detailing his findings. Lastly, MacKenzie Bezos — Jeff Bezos’ wife — took to Twitter in March and revealed that she’ll be walking away with nearly $37 billion as a result of the couple’s divorce.
Since then, we haven’t heard much about the saga. A few days ago, though, MacKenzie Bezos announced that she plans to give away more than half of her fortune to charity.
In a post on GivingPledge, Bezos articulates:
We each come by the gifts we have to offer by an infinite series of influences and lucky breaks we can never fully understand. 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. And I will keep at it until the safe is empty.
Jeff Bezos, in response to MacKenzie’s post, fired off the following tweet:
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. https://t.co/S2gLLBQyRQ
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) May 28, 2019
As a final point of interest, The Giving Pledge, in case you’re unfamiliar, was founded by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. It’s ultimate goal is to encourage extremely wealthy individuals to donate the bulk of their wealth to charitable causes.
