Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk have in common more than just their multi-billionaire status and space rivalry: they’re united in beef, as the kids will say. Case in point: Elon Musk’s reaction to the announcement that Bezos has pledged his billions to charity.
In a recent interview with CNN (available in the video at the bottom of the page), Jeff Bezos and partner Lauren Sanchez announced a $100 million donation to singer Dolly Parton’s charity, as she had been named the recipient of the Bezos Award for Courage and Civility. While discussing the donation, Bezos revealed – for the first time ever – that he would be donating his $124 billion fortune to charity over the course of his lifetime.
As you can see for yourself, he didn’t go into details and he definitely didn’t make any sort of promise. Pledging or acknowledging plans publicly is only a step towards actually giving away the money, and it’s just empty words until followed through by concrete action. Bezos, for one, limited himself to saying he was “building the capacity to be able to give away this money,” and that the ultimate goal would be “fighting climate change and supporting people who can unify humanity in the face of deep social and political divisions.”
It’s that last part that got Musk’s attention, courtesy of one of his supporters, who quoted that part and added “Might as well just give it all to @elonmusk then.” Never the one to miss the chance for a childish dig, especially directed to his arch-nemesis Bezos, Musk responded in the same joking tone with “Yay, he’s investing in Tesla!”
Jokes aside, and especially Musk’s delight to call him out publicly, Bezos’ announcement is a huge milestone, assuming he does carry out the pledge. Since 2010, when the Giving Pledge was started (the billionaire fund started by Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates), 236 pledgers from 28 countries, including Bezos’ ex-wife MacKenzie Scott, have signed it. Many have already started the long process of giving their billions away. Bezos never showed any signs of doing so, though he did do philanthropy work – and almost always made sure that it got plenty of media coverage.
In the same CNN chat, Bezos talks about the trouble of doing efficient philanthropy work, the looming financial crisis, and plans for Sanchez to head to space with an all-female crew with Blue Origin. The flight is scheduled to take place in 2023.
We’ve just announced a new Courage and Civility award recipient — @DollyParton, who leads with her heart, and will put this $100 million award to great use helping so many people. She joins prior awardees, @VanJones68 and @Chefjoseandres. Congrats, Dolly! pic.twitter.com/dzTuoGVp3G
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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