MacKenzie Scott says she's donated another $2.7 billion, condemns the wealth gap
CBSN
MacKenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, on Tuesday said she gave away another $2.74 billion of her massive fortune. In announcing the gifts to 286 organizations via a blog post, Scott blasted the wealth gap that she said has placed "disproportionate wealth" into a "small number of hands."
Scott said she and her charitable team are "attempting to give away a fortune that was enabled by systems in need of change." Amazon.com's rapid growth has helped lift the fortunes of both Scott and Bezos, with her ex-husband's fortune of almost $200 billion making him the world's wealthiest person, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. MacKenzie Scott, ranked the 22nd wealthiest person, is worth almost $60 billion. The gifts come after Scott in December announced she had given away $4.2 billion of her fortune to charities such as food banks and educational institutions, among others. Amazon.com's stock has soared during the pandemic as people shifted their purchases to the online retailer, while smaller businesses often struggled given pandemic lockdowns and other restrictions. Scott's wealth, like Bezos', is tied to the fortunes of the e-commerce company, whose shares have jumped more than 30% in the past year.
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