Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has significantly reduced her stake in Amazon.com Inc. by a massive 42 per cent over the last year, according to a regulatory filing made public on Tuesday, dated September 30.
The filing shows that Scott now holds 81.1 million Amazon shares, a sharp drop from the 139 million she held a year earlier.
Based on Tuesday’s closing price for the stock, the total value of this reduction—which may be due to sales or charitable gifts—is estimated at approximately $12.6 billion.
Scott’s stake in the global e-commerce giant originated from her 2019 divorce from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, as she was awarded roughly four per cent of the company as part of the settlement. Under the terms of the divorce, Bezos maintains voting control over her shares, which are required to be disclosed annually.
Despite her ongoing, massive-scale charitable giving, Scott’s net worth has continued to grow, fueled by the appreciation in Amazon’s share price over time.
She remains among the top five oldest female billionaires globally, commanding a staggering net worth that exceeds $40 billion, with the Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimating her wealth at $41.2 billion before this latest change.
Scott, 55, is renowned for her unconventional approach to philanthropy, particularly through her organization, Yield Giving. She is known for making large, direct grants to small nonprofits without attaching burdensome conditions or requiring extensive reporting.
Last year alone, she donated $2 billion to 199 organizations, bringing her total charitable contributions over approximately five years to a staggering $19.25 billion.
Earlier reports indicated that in November 2024, she sold $8 billion worth of Amazon shares to fund charitable causes across the United States, followed by another divestiture of approximately $10 billion worth of Amazon shares in 2023.
Her giving includes a December 2023 donation of an unrestricted $12 million to Howard University College of Medicine and a March 2022 sum of $436 million to Habitat for Humanity, an NGO addressing housing shortages globally.
Her model of giving contrasts sharply with many other billionaire philanthropists who prefer high-profile donations, as Scott prioritizes smaller, direct grants to organizations, often with limited reporting obligations. Analysts suggest this strategy has been highly influential in shaping global discussions around effective and impactful charitable giving.
The substantial reduction in her Amazon holdings—one of the largest single-year decreases among major shareholders—underscores the immense scale of Scott’s financial and philanthropic influence.
Requests for comment sent to Scott and Yield Giving regarding the precise nature of the holding reduction (sales or gifts) were not returned as of Tuesday.
