The Bezos’ Divorce Has A Silver Lining

As reported in an earlier post of this blog, Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos filed for divorce from his wife earlier this year. The Bezos have resolved their dissolution of marriage case and entered into a settlement. In what can only be described as an “ultra-high asset divorce,” MacKenzie received, among many assets, a 4% stake in Amazon worth around $36 Billion. Instead of just sitting on her huge pile of money, however, MacKenzie signed the Giving Pledge, by which ultra-rich individuals pledge at least 50% of their wealth to charity either while living or through their will.

The Giving Pledge is a campaign that was created by Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and Melinda Gates. The purpose of the campaign was to encourage the wealthy to contribute part of or at least half of their fortune to charitable causes. Although MacKenzie did not specify how she plans to disburse the money or how much exactly she pledged, her stake in Amazon alone was worth more than $36 Billion Dollars so it’s sure to be a very large sum.

Before the parties’ divorce, Jeff Bezos made several large donations to other charitable causes. In 2018, the Amazon founder and CEO contributed Two Billion Dollars to a charity that focuses on building preschools in low income areas. Bezos has also funded nonprofit companies that focus on helping homeless families.

Jeff Bezos’s stake in Amazon after the divorce was finalized was worth more than $108 Billion Dollars, which still makes him the world’s richest person. Although Mr. Bezos has not signed The Giving Pledge, he took to Twitter to show his support of MacKenzie’s generous decision to donate a share of her fortune, stating that he was very proud of her for the donation she made.

The parties did not have any minor children so no need for any co-parenting apps. Good luck to the former couple in their new post-divorce lives.

Contact the Spence Law Firm to consult with an experienced Orlando divorce attorney about your high asset divorce.