Early Life and Education
MacKenzie Scott (née Tuttle) was born on April 7, 1970, in San Francisco, California. She graduated from the Hotchkiss School in 1988 and later attended Princeton University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in English in 1992. At Princeton, she studied creative writing under Nobel laureate Toni Morrison. After graduating, she worked as a research assistant to Toni Morrison.
Rise to Success
After college, she worked as a research assistant. She then took an administrative role at the hedge fund D. E. Shaw in New York City, where she met Jeff Bezos. They married in 1993 and moved to Seattle in 1994. In the early days of Amazon, MacKenzie played a key role, helping with bookkeeping, writing checks, and overseeing freight contracts.
Philanthropy
Following her divorce from Jeff Bezos in 2019, MacKenzie Scott received a 4% stake in Amazon. Shortly after, she signed the Giving Pledge, committing to donate at least half of her wealth to charitable causes. As of December 2024, Scott has donated over $19.3 billion to more than 1,600 organizations. Scott has made significant donations to HBCUs, tribal colleges, and various other organizations. She is known for her hands-off approach, allowing nonprofits to have full control over the funds.
