Thread by @JuddLegum

1. In 2022, Jeff Bezos promised to give away the majority of his wealth during his lifetime.

It is not going well.

Since making the pledge, his net worth has almost doubled to $240 billion.

Meanwhile, he has given less than $5 billion to charity.

2. Most of Bezos' charitable giving has gone to the Bezos Earth Fund. But the org has a reputation less as a vehicle for the corporate infiltration of the climate groups.

oligarchwatch.substack.com/p/jeff-bezos-c…

3. The Bezos Earth Fund reportedly pressured a leading environmental standards group, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), to relax its rules around letting corporations use offsets to meet carbon goals.

4. After a staff revolt, the SBTi reversed course and, in December 2024, the Bezos Earth Fund stopped funding the organization.

oligarchwatch.substack.com/p/jeff-bezos-c…

5. In July 2025, Bezos appointed Tom Taylor, an Amazon executive focused on AI, as CEO of the Bezos Earth Fund. Taylor has no experience in either environmental issues or philanthropy.

6. The revolving door between Amazon and the Bezos Earth Fund is particularly concerning, as Amazon’s carbon emissions have increased by over 50% since 2018, largely driven by increased energy usage associated with AI. Bezos Earth Fund argues that AI is part of the solution to climate change.

7. Bezos has done some good donating to groups that address homelessness, but the effort is extremely modest relative to his wealth. Bezos has donated $750 million over 7 years to the project, or about 0.3% of his net worth.

8. Bezos' ex-wife, McKenzie Scott, has donated more than 4x as much as Bezos since their divorce.

oligarchwatch.substack.com/p/jeff-bezos-c…

9. Don't rely on publications OWNED BY BILLIONAIRES for reporting ABOUT BILLIONAIRES.

Subscribe to Oligarch Watch. It's free to sign up.

oligarchwatch.substack.com/subscribe