- Amazon ex-CEO Jeff Bezos promised to give away a majority of his estimated net worth of 124 billion US dollars to charity.
- This move comes after a huge backlash received by Bezos on his denial to sign the “Giving Pledge” promise.
- Bezos and his partner Sanchez recently donated around 100 million US dollars to veteran singer Dolly Parton’s “Courage and Civility” award.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos made some very bold claims when he said that he will be donating a huge chunk of his wealth to noble causes.
Currently, their net worth of Bezos is estimated to be somewhere around a whopping 124 billion dollars and he plans to donate most of it to people who can unify humanity and to our fight against climate change.
This claim comes days after the huge criticism faced by Bezos when he refused to sign and put his name on the “Giving Pledge“.
The “Giving Pledge” is a promise made by hundreds of the richest and most influential people and families all over the world, who have decided to give a substantial chunk of their property and riches to charity.
Speaking to CNN, the CEO of the world’s leading online shopping website was also accompanied by his journalist-turned-philanthropist partner Lauren Sanchez.
The power couple claimed that they both are trying to build a huge empire only to give it away, and also discussed the possible challenges and road bumps they could be facing as Bezos’s fortunes truly knows no bounds.
The Beginning of the Giving
Bezos has already contributed majorly to some noble causes or people doing charitable and noble work. The latest addition to this list was Dolly Parton.
She was given a 100 million dollar grant as a part of her “Courage and Civility” award. Bezos’s partner Lauren claimed that Dolly’s smile is always beaming with light and that she brings joy to other people’s lives which is why she was such a deserving candidate for this award and the huge amount attached as a grant.
Bezos also went on to claim that the most striking thought behind giving away this award to her was the sense of unity she brought. He said that unity is indeed a very crucial factor if humanity has to fight against a crisis like a climate change and the devastating aftereffects it brought with itself.
Bezos strongly criticized different social media platforms and politicians who fan feelings of hatred and division amongst people to create sectors of vote banks for themselves. Unity is a trait that he strongly believes and was very firm in expressing his thoughts as he minced no words.
Previous Winners
Dolly Parton is the third recipient of such a grant for her noble gestures and her work to make this world a better place.
Chef Jose Andres too had received such a grant for making meals and cooking for the Ukrainians. Due to the Russian invasion, Ukraine was in a major crisis, and like after every war, Ukraine was to suffer from a shortage of food and the availability of consumable items. Jose was awarded for stepping up in times of such a crisis.
The other recipient is climate advocate Van Jones. Jones is fighting for a cause that is very dear to Bezos and also for the survival of this planet. Bezos himself has been a very vocal supporter and strong advocate of this cause as humans continue to fight climate change.
How to Give it Away
It is no secret that the fourth richest man in this world will have a huge fortune beyond measure. The most difficult part of this venture of giving away is figuring out how much to give away and where to contribute.
Although Bezos was tightlipped about any numbers or figures when it comes to giving away in his lifetime. He said that he hasn’t set himself a particular goal as such in this aspect.
A rough estimate could be the 10 billion dollars that Bezos has given to his Bezos Earth fund over the last ten years. This amount is somewhere around 8-9 percent of Bezos’s net worth.
No matter what the figure or number is, one can rest assured that the Amazon CEO is helping in making the Earth a better planet and the world a better place to live in.
