1 year ago
81 Jeff Bezos has committed to giving distant the "majority" of his $116 billion luck during his beingness — but erstwhile it comes to signing the Giving Pledge, the Amazon laminitis remains mum.
The pledge, launched by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett successful 2010, is simply a run that encourages billionaires from crossed industries to perpetrate to giving distant astatine slightest fractional of their fortunes to foundation during their lifetimes.
Notably, it's a nonbinding commitment: Its founders picture it arsenic a "moral commitment," and critics argue that its escaped rules deficiency enforcement. So far, it's been signed by 236 billionaires, including Gates and Buffett, arsenic good arsenic Elon Musk and Bezos' ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott.
But Bezos, whose caller announcement followed years of criticism implicit his comparative deficiency of philanthropic giving, isn't the lone billionaire who hasn't signed the pledge. It lacks the signatures of 7 of the world's 11 wealthiest people, based connected Bloomberg's billionaire rankings arsenic of this week.
None of the 7 responded to CNBC Make It's petition for comment.
Here's who they are and what their philanthropic efforts person looked similar to this point.
Bernard Arnault: $157 cardinal nett worth
Bernard Arnault is the co-founder and CEO of luxury goods conglomerate LVMH and the world's second-wealthiest person, according to Bloomberg.
In the past, the French billionaire's nett worthy has approached $200 billion. He has topped Bloomberg's database of the world's wealthiest radical aggregate times, most precocious successful 2021.
Arnault has not signed the Giving Pledge, nor has helium commented connected the pledge publicly. There is nary nationalist grounds showing the grade of what Arnault has donated to charity.
However, LVMH has posted a statement online highlighting the company's philanthropic ngo and noting the Arnault family's high-profile $226 cardinal donation successful 2019 to assistance money repairs of Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral, aft a devastating occurrence severely damaged the landmark that year.
Gautam Adani: $130 cardinal nett worth
Gautam Adani is the president and laminitis of the Adani Group, 1 of India's largest concern conglomerates. He is India's wealthiest idiosyncratic and the third-richest successful the world, according to Bloomberg.
His nett worthy has astir doubled since this clip past year, arsenic his institution has made a bid of acquisitions to grow into industries specified arsenic ember and transportation.
He's besides ramped up his philanthropic efforts implicit the past year: In June, helium pledged a $7.7 cardinal donation to his Adani Foundation, a philanthropic limb of his institution that supports societal causes successful India specified arsenic acquisition and health-care programs.
Jeff Bezos: $116 cardinal nett worth
Bezos has donated much than $2.4 cardinal successful his lifetime, according to a Forbes estimate. He has besides committed to distributing a full of $10 billion done his ain clime nonprofit, the Bezos Earth Fund.
But the billionaire has skirted questions astir the Giving Pledge for years, particularly aft his ex-wife, Scott, signed it soon aft their 2019 divorce.
Scott has gone connected to go 1 of America's astir celebrated philanthropists. Bezos' critics are inactive waiting for him to connection much factual details connected however helium intends to administer his monolithic luck to charitable causes.
Without those details, it's hard to parse however his announcement past week differs from signing the Giving Pledge, and wherefore helium made specified a akin committedness without joining galore of his chap tech billionaires.
Larry Page: $88.7 cardinal nett worth
In 2014, Google co-founder Larry Page said helium didn't program to permission each of his wealthiness to his 2 children. He didn't perpetrate to leaving his nett worthy to charity, either.
Instead, the billionaire said successful a TED interview that helium would alternatively manus implicit the bulk of his luck to entrepreneurs with large ideas to alteration the satellite for the better. At the time, Page named Elon Musk arsenic 1 example: "He wants to spell to Mars. That's a worthy goal."
In 2019, Vox reported that Page had donated implicit $2 billion to his ain philanthropic instauration since 2004. The immense bulk of those contributions ended up successful donor-advised funds, which critics reason tin beryllium utilized arsenic vehicles for taxation breaks.
Mukesh Ambani: $88.2 cardinal nett worth
Mukesh Ambani, the ninth-richest idiosyncratic successful the world, is the president of Reliance Industries, an vigor and telecommunications conglomerate and India's astir invaluable company.
He was precocious named 1 of India's most generous philanthropists by the probe radical Hurun India, aft reportedly donating much than $50 million to foundation earlier successful 2022.
In 2010, Ambani founded the Reliance Foundation, the philanthropic limb of his institution and 1 of India's largest nonprofits. The instauration focuses connected initiatives that supply wellness attraction and acquisition scholarships, arsenic good arsenic cultivation infrastructure successful agrarian farming communities, according to its website.
Steve Ballmer: $86.3 cardinal nett worth
Steve Ballmer's lack from the Giving Pledge could travel arsenic a surprise: He was one of Microsoft's earliest employees, and roseate to the relation of president and Gates' right-hand antheral earlier succeeding his person arsenic CEO successful 2000. Most of Ballmer's luck comes from his 4% involvement successful Microsoft.
But Ballmer has said that helium and Gates have "drifted apart" since helium retired from the institution successful 2014, which could explicate wherefore helium hasn't signed the pledge that Gates co-founded.
Today, Ballmer serves arsenic president of the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers, which helium bought successful 2014. He's besides reasonably progressive connected the philanthropy front: He and his wife, Connie, tally the Ballmer Group nonprofit, which has awarded implicit $420 cardinal successful charitable grants implicit the past year, according to the group's website.
Sergey Brin: $84.9 cardinal nett worth
Like chap Google co-founder Page, Sergey Brin has not signed the Giving Pledge. The 11th-wealthiest idiosyncratic successful the world, Brin hasn't spoken publically astir the pledge oregon however overmuch helium plans to springiness distant during his lifetime.
In the past, Brin has donated money to causes including STEM-focused acquisition nonprofit Girls Who Code and a reported $63 cardinal gift earlier this twelvemonth to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which funds probe into a cure for Parkinson's disease.
In 2009, Brin besides donated $1 million to the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, an enactment that helped him and his household flight the Soviet Union and migrate to the U.S. erstwhile helium was a child.
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