This person just became the richest woman in the world
MacKenzie Scott has been named the richest woman in the world, with a staggering US$68 billion (AU$93.5 billion) to her name.
The author, philanthropist and ex-wife of world’s richest man Jeff Bezos has surpassed L'Oréal heiress Francoise Bettencourt Meyers US$66.8 billion to take the title, according to Bloomberg’s latest billionaire index.
Scott’s fortune now makes her the 12th wealthiest person in the world, and comes after she received a quarter of Bezos’ Amazon shares in her 2019 divorce settlement. At the time, that 4 per cent stake in Amazon was worth more than US$35 billion.
But Amazon’s stock has surged about 28 per cent over the last three months and more than 90 per cent over the last year as Covid-19 saw a massive uptake in ecommerce.
That same gain saw Bezos’ wealth jump to more than US$200 billion.
Scott has pledged to dedicate most of her fortune to charity as part of Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge, and has already donated nearly US$1.7 billion to 116 organisations. The organisations focus on a range of causes including public health, climate change, racial equality and LGBTQ advocacy.
Within a few days, however, Scott’s Amazon stake had seen her make that donation back, CNBC noted.
MacKenzie Scott (Bezos) on Tuesday announced she's given $1.7 billion to charity. Today, her net worth is up by $2 billion. Good week. pic.twitter.com/BLsw0Sr7tk
— Robert Frank (@robtfrank) July 31, 2020
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