Who Is MacKenzie Scott, Jeff Bezos's First Wife
MacKenzie Scott, born MacKenzie Tuttle, is the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. She met Bezos while working at D.E. Shaw in New York, and the couple married in 1993. She moved to Seattle as Amazon grew, later becoming a published novelist under the name MacKenzie Bezos. Forbes profile on MacKenzie Scott's background.
In 2019, MacKenzie and Jeff Bezos announced their divorce after 25 years of marriage. The settlement made her the then-largest self-made woman in history, with a stake in Amazon and other assets. She later remarried, took the surname Scott, and shifted her public focus to philanthropy and writing. Bloomberg reporting on the Bezos divorce terms.
Amazon Origins and the Bezos Divorce Settlement
MacKenzie Scott was an early employee and supporter of Amazon during its startup phase. While Jeff Bezos built the company, she contributed to household stability and later pursued fiction writing. Amazon went public in 1997, and the couple's wealth grew alongside the company's market capitalization. SEC filings for Amazon Inc..
The Bezos divorce was finalized in 2019 with MacKenzie receiving approximately 25% of the couple's Amazon shares, then valued at roughly $36 billion. She retained her stake without selling large blocks immediately. As Amazon's share price rose, her net worth climbed into the top ranks of global billionaires. Forbes coverage of the settlement's impact.
MacKenzie Scott Philanthropy and Current Activities
MacKenzie Scott launched a large-scale giving program in 2020, pledging the majority of her wealth to charitable causes. She has donated billions to organizations focused on racial equity, LGBTQ+ rights, public health, and education, often using unrestricted gifts. Her approach emphasizes trust-based giving and direct support to community-led nonprofits. Philanthropy News Digest tracking Scott's donations.
As of the latest public disclosures, MacKenzie Scott has given away tens of billions of dollars through direct gifts and donor-advised funds. She continues to write novels and maintain a low public profile while coordinating philanthropy through trusted advisors. Her giving has influenced discussions on wealth concentration and billionaire philanthropy models. Forbes analysis of Scott's philanthropic strategy.