MacKenzie Scott, a global philanthropist and the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is reported to have donated more than $26.3 billion (about 40 trillion won). Elon Musk, the world's richest person and founder of Tesla and SpaceX, has criticized her "no-strings-attached good deeds."
According to Fortune on Monday, when an X (formerly Twitter) user said of Scott's donations, "Unfortunately, she's using that money to make the world a worse place," Musk agreed, replying, "Sadly, yes."
Musk went on to repost a series of messages from users critical of Scott, including claims that "Scott's donations have not changed the world" and "Why didn't she donate to solving global hunger?"
Recently on X, a post claiming that Scott has become the largest donor in history, having donated more than $26.3 billion over several years, gained traction. When Scott ended her 25-year marriage to Bezos in 2019, she received 4% of Amazon's shares as a divorce settlement. Worth about $35.7 billion (55 trillion won) at the time, the settlement instantly made Scott one of the world's wealthiest people.
Scott has drawn attention for her donation record as much as for her vast wealth. After pledging to donate half of her settlement to those in need without conditions, Scott became known for establishing the foundation Yield Giving and steadily donating to thousands of organizations. Scott's donations are made by sending large sums once an organization's existence is confirmed, without prior communication. Unlike the conventional donations of high-net-worth individuals, Scott's giving—dubbed "trust-based philanthropy"—involves no complex administrative procedures or restrictions.
By contrast, Musk, considered the world's richest person, has repeatedly stressed that genuine charitable activity is difficult. In a podcast interview last December, Musk said, "I empathize with humanity and think we should try to help others. But it's really difficult," adding, "The hardest part is spending the money properly."
He continued, "The biggest concern at my foundation is donating money in a way that genuinely helps people," and said, "It's easy to spend money just to look like a good person on the surface, but it's very difficult to donate in a way that actually produces good results."
Musk holds a charitable organization, the Musk Foundation, with assets exceeding $14 billion (21 trillion won). However, the New York Times (NYT) reported last year that a significant portion of the Musk Foundation's more than $474 million in donations in 2024 was channeled to a Texas nonprofit led by Musk's closest associates, an organization that focuses on welfare projects for Musk's inner circle.
The fact that Scott's donations have flowed to progressive causes such as refugee support, climate change organizations, and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) is also interpreted as having prompted a backlash from Musk and conservative camps.
However, Melinda Gates—the former wife of Microsoft (MS) founder Bill Gates and former co-chair of the charitable Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation—gave a positive assessment of Scott's giving, telling Fortune, "There's an old adage that actions speak louder than words," and "Looking back at the giving MacKenzie Scott has shown over the past year, she emphasized the importance of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the United States and actually demonstrated it through action."
Gates has argued that those who have signed the Giving Pledge campaign—in which signatories promise to return most of their wealth to society—should more actively fulfill their commitments.
