Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' ex MacKenzie Scott wins PR war after donating billions

MacKenzie Bezos has had her revenge. Photo / Getty

MacKenzie Scott became one of the richest woman on the planet the moment the ink dried on her divorce settlement in 2019.

Her shock split with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos after 26 years of marriage made headlines across the world, and ultimately became the most expensive break-up in history.

It netted the 50-year-old a cool $US38 billion ($53.35b) – and since then, a series of classy acts and dignified public comments have ensured she's also won the PR war, while her ex's reputation is left in tatters.

MacKenzie's millions

The mother-of-four announced from the outset that she would give away the bulk of her vast fortune to worthy causes, and she wasted no time in putting her money where her mouth was.

In May 2019, just a month after the divorce was finalised, Scott signed up to the Giving Pledge campaign – an initiative founded by billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill Gates that encourages the world's wealthiest people to dedicate most of their fortunes to worthy causes.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos (L) and MacKenzie Scott in 2018. Photo / Getty

In July 2020, she formally dropped the Bezos last name and adopted Scott, which was the middle name she grew up with, and announced she had already donated US$1.7 billion ($2.39b) to 116 non-profits.

At the time, she donated $US586 million ($822 million) to organisations devoted to racial equity, $US399 million ($560 million) for those tackling economic mobility, $US133 million ($186 million) for gender equity, $US130 million ($182 million) for global development, $US128 million ($179 million) for public health, $US125 million ($175 million) for climate change, $US72 million ($101 million) for functional democracy, $US55 million ($77 million) for empathy and bridging divides and $US46 million ($64 million) for LGBTQ+ equity.

But just four months on, the successful author has gone on yet another giving spree – this time handing out US$4.1 billion to 384 charitable organisations in America, including food banks, emergency relief funds and support services "for those most vulnerable" after considering thousands of organisations.