Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said he will give away the majority of his wealth during his lifetime, becoming the latest billionaire to pledge to donate much of his vast fortune.

Bezos, whose B次元官网网址渞eal-timeB次元官网网址� worth Forbes magazine estimates at roughly $124.1 billion, made the announcement in a joint CNN interview with his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez that was released on Monday. The billionaire didnB次元官网网址檛 specify how - or to whom - he will give away the money, but said the couple were building the B次元官网网址渃apacityB次元官网网址� to do it.

B次元官网网址淭he hard part is figuring out how to do it in a levered way,B次元官网网址� Bezos said during the interview. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not easy. Building Amazon was not easy. It took a lot of hard work and very smart teammates. And IB次元官网网址檓 finding - and LaurenB次元官网网址檚 finding - that philanthropy is very similar. ItB次元官网网址檚 not easy. ItB次元官网网址檚 really hard.B次元官网网址�

Bezos had been criticized in the past for not signing the Giving Pledge, the campaign launched by Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates and Warren Buffet to encourage billionaires to donate the majority of their wealth through philanthropy.

His ex-wife McKenzie Scott signed that pledge in 2019 and has since emerged as a formidable force in the world of philanthropy, showering charities throughout the country with unexpected - and often secretive - contributions. In the past three years, sheB次元官网网址檚 given more than $12 billion to historically Black colleges and universities, womenB次元官网网址檚 rights group and other nonprofits.

Bezos, who divorced from Scott in 2019, stepped down as Amazon CEO last year to devote more time to philanthropy and other projects. Among other donations, heB次元官网网址檚 pledged $10 billion to fight climate change as part of his Bezos Earth Fund initiative. Last year, he gave $510.7 million to charity, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

On Saturday, Bezos and Sanchez announced they will give a no-strings-attached $100 million grant to singer Dolly Parton, whoB次元官网网址檚 been praised for her philanthropic work that helped create the Moderna vaccine for COVID-19. Bezos had given a similar grant to chef Jos茅 Andr茅s and CNN commentator Van Jones last year.

Associated Press, The Associated Press

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