As Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez prepare for their opulent wedding in Venice, people are also looking at the Amazon boss’ ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott.
Five years ago, Scott temporarily held the title of richest woman in the world.
Although she no longer holds that title, Bloomberg recognises her as the 41st wealthiest person in the world.
Aside from being rich, Scott has dedicated her life to philanthropy, and she has made several record-breaking donations in recent years.
Who is MacKenzie Scott?
Scott is an American novelist and philanthropist, who is also one of the richest women in the world.
She was born to mother Holiday Tuttle, a stay-at-home parent, and father, Jason Baker Tuttle, who was a financial adviser, according to a 2022 New York Times profile.
In 1992, she earned a bachelor's degree in English from Princeton University. One of her teachers there was Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison, who went on to become a mentor to Scott.
According to the Times, Scott and Bezos first crossed paths that same year, while working for the same investment management company, D. E. Shaw & Co.
She told Vogue in 2013 that “My office was next door to his, and all day long I listened to that fabulous laugh. How could you not fall in love with that laugh?”
The 55-year-old philanthropist, who has stayed out of the spotlight since the divorce, was instrumental in Bezos's early efforts to develop Amazon.
Since then, Scott has written two books - including The Testing of Luther Albright for which she won an American Book Award - and established herself as a devoted philanthropist, impacting education and racial equity.
After marrying Bezos in Seattle in 1993, the pair had four children: three sons and one daughter.
Bezos gushed about Scott's encouragement and how she had helped him succeed as an entrepreneur throughout their marriage.
Bezos explained in an interview with Business Insider: “MacKenzie, you know, she had married this stable guy working on Wall Street, and a year after we got married, I went to her and said I wanted to quit my job, move across the country and start this internet bookstore. And MacKenzie, of course, like everybody I explained this to, her first question was: ‘What’s the internet?’ Because nobody knew. This was 1994.
“But even before she could say ‘What’s the internet?’ she said, ‘Great — let’s go!’ Because she wanted to support it, and she knew that I had always had this passion for invention and starting a company.”
Why did she divorce Jeff Bezos?
Bezos and Scott announced they had already been apart for a while and confirmed their divorce in a social media post they both signed on January 9, 2019.
They wrote: “We want to make people aware of a development in our lives. As our family and close friends know, after a long period of loving exploration and trial separation, we have decided to divorce and continue our shared lives as friends.
“We feel incredibly lucky to have found each other and deeply grateful for every one of the years we have been married to each other. If we had known we would separate after 25 years, we would do it all again. We’ve had such a great life together as a married couple, and we also see wonderful futures ahead, as parents, friends, partners in ventures and projects, and as individuals pursuing ventures and adventures.”
The reason for their divorce has not been disclosed.
According to the Washington Post, Scott married science teacher Dan Jewett in 2021 following her first marriage to Bezos. The two met at her children's school.
In September 2022, Scott filed for divorce, and it was finalised in January 2023.
What did she do with the money?
Approximately $36 billion, or 25 per cent of their joint Amazon interest, was awarded to Scott as part of their divorce settlement.
In addition to having voting authority over the company, Bezos kept 75 per cent of the couple's Amazon equity, as USA Today previously reported.
Scott became one of the richest woman in the world as a result of the settlement.
The co-founder of Amazon promised to donate the majority of her income after the divorce. She has since given away over $19 billion through her foundation, Yield Giving.
According to a February study, Scott has contributed to almost 2,000 nonprofits in the last six years.
Has she spoken out on Bezos' new marriage?
Scott is yet to comment on Bezos’ engagement and wedding. It is also not known if she will be attending the wedding in Venice this week.
