MacKenzie Scott, billionaire philanthropist and ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has significantly reduced her Amazon holdings over the past year. Regulatory filings show that Scott slashed her stake by 42 percent, selling or gifting roughly 58 million shares valued at about $12.6 billion.
Despite this, she still retains 81.1 million shares, according to Bloomberg’s September 30 report, leaving her with an estimated net worth of $32.4 billion, ranking her as the 66th richest person worldwide.
Scott’s reduction in shares comes amid her continued commitment to philanthropy. Since her 2019 divorce from Bezos, when she acquired a 4 percent stake in Amazon, Scott has donated over $19 billion to more than 2,450 nonprofits through her foundation, Yield Giving.
Last year alone, the foundation gave away over $2 billion to 199 organizations focused on improving affordable housing, healthcare access, and stable employment for underserved communities.
Yield Giving stands out for its “quiet research” approach to philanthropy, seeking out nonprofits with few strings attached and minimal reporting requirements.
This contrasts with the high-profile donations common among billionaires. The foundation has remained tight-lipped about its operations, with its website stating it “chooses not to participate in events or media stories.”
Before her philanthropic prominence, Scott played an integral role in Amazon’s early days. She met Bezos in 1992 while working at hedge fund D.E. Shaw and later married him in 1993. She contributed to the startup by managing accounting, helping with naming ideas, and shipping early orders.
The couple had four children before their 2019 divorce. Amazon shares have surged since the split, increasing Scott’s wealth despite her large-scale donations. She remains dedicated to giving away the majority of her fortune, focusing heavily on diversity, equity, and inclusion causes.
Recently, she donated $42 million to 10,000 Degrees, a nonprofit that expands college access for low-income students, and $70 million to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) through the UNCF. Other gifts include $84 million to the Girl Scouts, $436 million to Habitat for Humanity, and $275 million to Planned Parenthood.
Scott’s philanthropic efforts have been described as “transformational,” and she joined the Giving Pledge in 2020, committing to donate most of her wealth during her lifetime. The median size of her donations is approximately $5 million, showcasing both the breadth and scale of her giving.
Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos himself has been steadily reducing his Amazon stake. Once owning over 43 percent when the company went public in 1997, Bezos’s ownership has fallen below 10 percent for the first time, now holding about 9.6 percent after selling more than 100 million shares in the past year. His divestment began after stepping down as CEO in 2021 and handing over the reins to Andy Jassy.
Bezos has sold shares through prearranged trading plans, generating billions to fund his other ventures, including Blue Origin and The Washington Post. His recent wedding in Venice to Lauren Sánchez, a star-studded event attended by celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Leonardo DiCaprio, reportedly cost around $50 million.
Despite stepping back from day-to-day Amazon operations, Bezos remains executive chairman and retains significant influence. His recent focus has been on expanding the company’s sports rights portfolio and turning around The Washington Post, a publication he purchased in 2013.