Amazon founder Jeff Bezos says he will donate most of his fortune

Sylvie Claire / November 15, 2022

Amazon founder and multi-billionaire Jeff Bezos assured that he plans to distribute most of his wealth to charity in his lifetime in an interview with CNN aired Monday.

When asked, "Do you plan to donate the majority of your wealth during your lifetime?" the entrepreneur replied, "Yes."

This is the first time the 58-year-old businessman has made such a commitment publicly. Notably, he did not sign the "Giving Pledge," an initiative launched in 2010 by Americans Warren Buffett and Bill Gates that encourages billionaires to give more than half of their wealth to charity.

According to Bloomberg, Jeff Bezos is currently worth $124 billion, making him the fourth richest person in the world.

He was once at the top of the rankings, but his wealth, largely tied to Amazon, has fallen with the company's stock decline over the past year.

Jeff Bezos also owns the Washington Post newspaper, the space company Blue Origin and the Bezos Earth Fund, a fund dedicated to the planet that he launched in 2020 with $10 billion.

The entrepreneur wants to make sure his donations are used in the most efficient way possible. "We're building the capacity" to do that, he said in the interview, where he appeared alongside his partner Lauren Sanchez.

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, for example, presented a $100 million charity award to country musician Dolly Parton. Honored for her charitable work, she will be able to donate this amount to an organization of her choice. With the Dollywood Foundation, the singer supports financially vulnerable regions in the southern United States.