MacKenzie Scott

MacKenzie Scott (née Tuttle, formerly Bezos; April 7, 1970)[1][2] is an American novelist and philanthropist. As of September 2022, she has a net worth of US$33.4 billion, owing to a 4% stake in Amazon, the company founded by her ex-husband Jeff Bezos. As such, Scott is the third-wealthiest woman in the United States and the 35th-wealthiest individual in the world.[3] Scott was named one of the world's most powerful women by Forbes in 2021, and one of Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2020.[4]

MacKenzie Scott
Born
MacKenzie Scott Tuttle

(1970-04-07) April 7, 1970
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Other namesMacKenzie Scott Bezos
EducationPrinceton University (BA)
Occupation
  • Novelist
  • philanthropist
Notable workThe Testing of Luther Albright
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1993; div. 2019)​
  • Dan Jewett
    ​
    ​
    (m. 2021; sep. 2022)​
Children4
AwardsAmerican Book Award (2006)

In 2006, Scott won an American Book Award for her 2005 debut novel, The Testing of Luther Albright.[5] Her second novel, Traps, was published in 2013.[6] She has been executive director of Bystander Revolution, an anti-bullying organization, since she founded it in 2014.[7] Committed to give at least half of her wealth to charity, as a signatory to the Giving Pledge,[8] Scott made US$5.8 billion in charitable gifts in 2020, one of the largest annual distributions by a private individual to working charities.[9][10] She donated a further $2.7 billion in 2021.[11]

Early life and education

MacKenzie Scott Tuttle was born on April 7, 1970, in San Francisco, California, to Holiday Robin (née Cuming), a homemaker, and Jason Baker Tuttle, a financial planner.[12][13] She has two brothers.[12] She was named after her maternal grandfather, G. Scott Cuming, who worked as an executive and general counsel at El Paso Natural Gas.[12] She remembers seriously writing at the age of six, when she wrote The Book Worm, a 142-page book, which was destroyed in a flood.[14]

In 1988, she graduated from Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut.[15] In 1992, Tuttle earned her bachelor's degree in English at Princeton University, where she studied under the Nobel Laureate in Literature Toni Morrison, who described Tuttle as "one of the best students I've ever had in my creative writing classes".[14][13] She also worked as a research assistant to Morrison for the 1992 novel Jazz.[14]

Career

Literary career

In 2005, Scott wrote her debut novel, The Testing of Luther Albright, for which she won an American Book Award in 2006. She said that it took her ten years to write as she was helping Bezos build Amazon, giving birth to three children, and raising them.[16] Toni Morrison, her former teacher, reviewed the book as "a rarity: a sophisticated novel that breaks and swells the heart".[14] Her second novel, Traps, was published in 2013[6] and started with a quote from Shakespeares play As You Like It: "Sweet are the uses of adversity, Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, Wears yet a precious jewel in his head."

Amazon

In 1993, Scott and Bezos were married, and in 1994, they both left D. E. Shaw, moved to Seattle, and started Amazon. Scott was one of Amazon's first employees, and was heavily involved in Amazon's early days, working on the company's name, business plan, accounts, and shipping early orders.[14][5] She also negotiated the company's first freight contract.[5] When Amazon began to succeed, Scott took a less involved role in the business, preferring to focus on her family and literary career.[14]

Personal life
Scott at a naturalization ceremony on June 14, 2016 (blue dress)

Scott was married to Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and Blue Origin, from 1993 to 2019.[17][18] She met him while working as his assistant at D. E. Shaw in 1992; after three months of dating in New York, they married and moved to Seattle, Washington, in 1994.[14] They have four children: three sons and one daughter. Their daughter is adopted from China.[19]

Their community property divorce in 2019 left Scott with US$35.6 billion in Amazon stock while her former husband retained 75% of the couple's Amazon stock.[14] She became the third-wealthiest woman in the world and one of the wealthiest people overall in April 2019.[20][14] In July 2020, Scott was ranked the 22nd-richest person in the world by Forbes with a net worth estimated at $36 billion.[21] By September 2020, Scott was named the world's richest woman, and by December 2020, her net worth was estimated at $62 billion.[22][23]

After her divorce from Jeff Bezos, MacKenzie Bezos changed her name to MacKenzie Scott, with the surname derived from her middle name.[2]

She later married Seattle-based high school science teacher Dan Jewett.[24] The marriage was revealed in Jewett's Giving Pledge letter posted on March 6, 2021.[25][26] She filed for divorce from Jewett in September 2022.[27]

Philanthropy

In May 2019, Scott signed the Giving Pledge, a charitable-giving campaign in which she undertook to give away most of her wealth to charity over her lifetime or in her will; despite its name, the pledge is not legally binding.[28]

In a July 2020 Medium post,[29] Scott announced that she had donated $1.7 billion to 116 non-profit organizations, with a focus on racial equality, LGBTQ+ equality, democracy, and climate change.[30] Her gifts to HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and other colleges surpass $800 million.[31][32] In December 2020, less than six months later, Scott stated that she had donated a further $4.15 billion in the previous four months to 384 organizations, with a focus on providing support to people affected by the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and addressing long-term systemic inequities.[33] She said that after July, she wanted her advisory team to give her wealth away faster as the United States struggled with the unprecedented impact of COVID-19 while billionaires' wealth continued to climb. Her team's focus was on "identifying organizations with strong leadership teams and results, with special attention to those operating in communities facing high projected food insecurity, high measures of racial inequity, high local poverty rates, and low access to philanthropic capital".[34] Scott's 2020 charitable giving totalled $5.8 billion, one of the biggest annual distributions by a private individual to working charities.[35][9]

On June 15, 2021, Scott announced another $2.7 billion in giving to 286 organizations.[36] Forbes reported that Scott donated $8.5 billion across 780 organizations in one year (July 2020 to July 2021).[37] In June 2021, Scott and Melinda French Gates launched the Equality Can’t Wait Challenge, a contest to promote gender equality[38] and expanding women’s power and influence in the United States by 2030.[39] The four winners received $10 million each and additional $8 million was split between two finalists.[38] In February 2022, nine organizations announced gifts from Scott totaling $264.5 million.[40] On March 23, 2022 more gifts were announced including $436 million to Habitat for Humanity[41] and $275 million to Planned Parenthood.[42][43] In May 2022, The Big Brothers Big Sisters foundation reported a $122.6 million donation from Mackenzie Scott.[44] Scott also donated to organizations from outside the United States such as from Kenya, India, Brazil, Micronesia and Latin America.[45] In April 2022, The New York Times reported that Scott donations since 2019 have exceeded $12 billion.[12] In September 2022, Scott donated two of her Beverly Hills homes — worth a combined $55 million — to the California Community Foundation (CCF), which provides grants to mission-based nonprofits in Los Angeles. The organization intends to sell both homes and use 90% of the earnings to fund affordable housing initiatives and the other 10% to an immigrant integration program.[46]

Forbes reported, "the unrestricted and ultimately more trusting nature of Scott's philanthropy is the exception, not the norm in their world."[37] The New York Times noted that "Ms. Scott has turned traditional philanthropy on its head... by disbursing her money quickly and without much hoopla, Ms. Scott has pushed the focus away from the giver, and onto the nonprofits, she is trying to help."[47] Scott has said she believes "teams with experience on the front lines of challenges will know best how to put the money to good use."[34][48] In December 2021, Scott wrote a Medium post that she would not reveal how much money she has given away or to whom which became a controversy.[49] Since then she announced her team will build a website to share details of her giving.[49]

Books and essays
  • The Testing of Luther Albright. Fourth Estate. 2005. ISBN 978-0-00-719287-8.[50]
  • Traps. Knopf. 2013. ISBN 978-0-307-95973-7.[51]
  • 116 Organizations Driving Change. Medium. 2020.[29]
  • 384 Ways to Help. Medium. 2020.[34]
  • Seeding by Ceding. Medium. 2021.[48]

See also
  • List of Princeton University alumni

References
  1. Trotter, J.K. (January 22, 2019). "What we know, and don't know, about Jeff Bezos' religious beliefs". Insider. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2020. ...marriage of Jeffrey Preston Bezos and MacKenzie Scott Tuttle.
  2. Statt, Nick (July 28, 2020). "MacKenzie Scott has already donated nearly $1.7 billion of her Amazon wealth since divorcing Jeff Bezos". The Verge. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  3. "Bloomberg Billionaires Index: MacKenzie Scott". Bloomberg. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  4. "MacKenzie Scott: The 100 Most Influential People of 2020". Time. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  5. "MacKenzie Bezos and the Myth of the Lone Genius Founder". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  6. Bezos, MacKenzie (2013). Traps. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 978-0-307-95973-7. OCLC 804491168.
  7. "Bystander Revolution". Archived from the original on February 14, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  8. Gren, Christy (May 29, 2019). "MacKenzie Bezos Signs The Giving Pledge and Pledges to give Half Her Fortune". Industry Leaders Magazine. Archived from the original on July 13, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  9. "MacKenzie Scott Gives Away $4.2 Billion in Four Months". Bloomberg News. December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  10. Vallely, Paul. "Jeff Bezos and Mackenzie Scott: Please stop giving. You're making me look bad". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  11. "MacKenzie Scott Is Giving Away Another $2.7 Billion To 286 Organizations". NPR. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  12. Kulish, Nicholas; Ruiz, Rebecca R. (April 10, 2022). "The Fortunes of MacKenzie Scott". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  13. Johnson, Rebecca (February 20, 2013). "MacKenzie Bezos: Writer, Mother of Four, and High-profile Wife". Vogue. Archived from the original on February 20, 2017. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  14. Bromwich, Jonah Engel; Alter, Alexandra (January 12, 2019). "Who Is MacKenzie Scott?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  15. "Alumni Award: Previous Recipients". hotchkiss.org. The Hotchkiss School. 2004. Archived from the original on March 10, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  16. "7 Things To Know About MacKenzie Scott, The Woman Who Donated $6 Billion In 2020". British Vogue. December 22, 2020. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  17. Bayers, Chip (March 1999). "The Inner Bezos". Wired. Vol. 7, no. 3. Archived from the original on August 31, 2013. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  18. Snider, Mike (January 9, 2019). "Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and wife MacKenzie to divorce after 25 years of marriage". USA Today. Archived from the original on January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  19. "Jeff Bezos Fast Facts". CNN. 2019. Archived from the original on December 12, 2018. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  20. Schleifer, Theodore (April 4, 2019). "MacKenzie Bezos, with $35 billion, is now the world's third-wealthiest woman". Recode. Archived from the original on April 25, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  21. "MacKenzie Scott". Forbes. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  22. Kulish, Nicholas (December 16, 2020). "MacKenzie Scott Announces $4.2 Billion More in Charitable Giving". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  23. Goodwin, Jazmin (September 3, 2020). "MacKenzie Scott has become the world's richest woman". CNN. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  24. DeSantis, Rachel (October 3, 2022). "Who Is MacKenzie Scott's Husband? All About Dan Jewett". People. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  25. Mattioli, Dana (March 7, 2021). "Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, Ex-Wife of Jeff Bezos, Marries Seattle School Teacher". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  26. McLean, Rob (March 8, 2021). "Billionaire MacKenzie Scott remarries, tying the knot with a Seattle schoolteacher". CNN. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  27. Kulish, Nicholas; Ruiz, Rebecca R.; Weise, Karen (September 28, 2022). "MacKenzie Scott, Billionaire Philanthropist, Files for Divorce". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  28. Schleifer, Theodore (May 28, 2019). "MacKenzie Bezos signed the philanthropic commitment her ex-husband spurned". Vox. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  29. Scott, MacKenzie (July 28, 2020). "116 Organizations Driving Change". Medium. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  30. Iyengar, Rishi (July 28, 2020). "MacKenzie Scott, formerly Bezos, says she has given away $1.7 billion of her wealth so far". CNN Business. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  31. "'Transformational': MacKenzie Scott's gifts to HBCUs, other colleges surpass $800 million". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022.
  32. "The historic MacKenzie Scott gifts to historically Black colleges and others: Which schools got how much". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022.
  33. Kulish, Nicholas (December 16, 2020). "MacKenzie Scott Announces $4.2 Billion More in Charitable Giving". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 16, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  34. Scott, MacKenzie (December 15, 2020). "384 Ways to Help". Medium. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  35. Dolan, Kerry A. "Mackenzie (Bezos) Scott Announces She's Donated $4.1 Billion To 384 Groups In Recent Months". Forbes. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  36. "Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott gives away $2.7bn to hundreds of charities". The Guardian. June 15, 2021. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022.
  37. "Inside MacKenzie Scott's 'No Strings Attached' Philanthropy: 'I Was In Tears'". Forbes. July 7, 2021. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022.
  38. Avi-Yonah, Shera (July 29, 2021). "MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates Give $40 Million to Gender Equality Groups". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  39. McGrath, Maggie (July 29, 2021). "Melinda French Gates And MacKenzie Scott Award $40 Million To The Winners Of The Equality Can't Wait Challenge". Forbes. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  40. Sandler, Rachel (February 12, 2021). "Here's Who MacKenzie Scott Donated To So Far In February". Forbes. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  41. "Habitat for Humanity International and 84 U.S. Habitat affiliates receive transformational $436M gift from MacKenzie Scott". Habitat for Humanity. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  42. Franklin, Jonathan (March 23, 2022). "MacKenzie Scott makes a record $275 million donation to Planned Parenthood". NPR. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  43. Scott, MacKenzie (March 23, 2022). "Helping Any of Us Can Help Us All". Medium. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  44. "Big Brothers Big Sisters on Path to Transform Mentorship in America with $122.6 Million Donation from MacKenzie Scott". BBBS. May 24, 2022. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  45. Marques, Felipe (April 5, 2022). "MacKenzie Scott Is Expanding Her $12.4 Billion Giving Spree Globally". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  46. Sauer, Megan (September 13, 2022). "Billionaire MacKenzie Scott just donated two Beverly Hills mansions worth $55 million to fund affordable housing in LA". CNBC. Archived from the original on September 15, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  47. "Giving Billions Fast, MacKenzie Scott Upends Philanthropy". The New York Times. December 20, 2020. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022.
  48. Scott, MacKenzie (June 16, 2021). "Seeding by Ceding". Medium. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  49. Burack, Emily (April 11, 2022). "In 3 Years, MacKenzie Scott Has Donated $12 Billion". Town & Country. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  50. Bezos, MacKenzie; Sutherland, Brian (2013). The Testing of Luther Albright (Unabridged ed.). Brilliance Audio. ISBN 978-1480569157.
  51. Bezos, MacKenzie (2013). Traps. New York: Vintage. ISBN 978-0307950291. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved September 7, 2019.

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