May 28, 2019 - Technology

MacKenzie Bezos pledges half her $37 billion fortune to charity

Amazon Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie Bezos

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his ex-wife, MacKenzie Bezos. Photo: Jörg Carstensen/picture alliance via Getty Images

MacKenzie Bezos, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, announced Tuesday that will give half of her personal fortune to charity as a part of Warren Buffett and Bill Gates' Giving Pledge:

"We each come by the gifts we have to offer by an infinite series of influences and lucky breaks we can never fully understand. In addition to whatever assets life has nurtured in me, I have a disproportionate amount of money to share."

By the numbers: After the couple's divorce in April, MacKenzie Bezos retained 25% of their jointly owned shares in Amazon, making her worth an estimated $36.6 billion.

Go deeper: Forbes' 2019 billionaires are worth a combined $8.7 trillion

Go deeper