Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos Plans to Give Away Majority of His Wealth to Charity, Fighting Climate Change

Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos, who is among the richest people in the world, has revealed what he ultimately plans to do with his fortune of billions of dollars. In an interview on Monday, the billionaire said he plans to donate the majority of his wealth to charitable causes within his lifetime. With an estimated net worth of $124.1 billion, Bezos is the fourth richest person in the world, as per Forbes.

During a CNN interview with Chloe Melas on Monday, Bezos divulged that most of his donations will go toward fighting climate change and to people who can unify humanity in the face of deep social and political divisions.

The Amazon founder said that philanthropy “is really hard” and “we’re building the capacity to be able to give away this money.”

Bezos, who stepped down as CEO of Amazon in July 2021, owns slightly less than 10 percent of the company’s shares along with the Washington Post and aerospace company Blue Origin.

In 2020 Bezos announced the formation of the Bezos Earth Fund, which he set up to grant $10 billion (roughly Rs. 80,900 crore) over 10 years to scientists, activists and non-governmental organisations “to help preserve and protect the natural world.”

Bezos had not officially signed the Giving Pledge, which encourages high net-worth individuals to commit to giving away a majority of their wealth, as per the report.

This news of Bezos’ philanthropy comes amid reports that Amazon has planned to lay off around 10,000 employees this week. The layoff is said to be one of the largest job cuts in the company’s history to focus on the company’s devices organization, retail division and human resources.