Jeff Bezos’ love story with his first wife, MacKenzie Scott, reads like a Silicon Valley fairy tale, if fairy tales included overnight billion-dollar valuations, a messy tabloid scandal, and one of the most expensive divorces in history. They met in 1992 at D.E. Shaw, a hedge fund in New York, where Bezos was interviewing candidates. MacKenzie, a Princeton grad and aspiring novelist, impressed him so much that he hired her, then promptly started dating her. Three months later, they were engaged, and by 1993, they were married in a low-key ceremony. No flashy celebrity guest list, no viral Instagram posts, just two ambitious twenty-somethings betting on each other.
The early years of their marriage were all about hustle. In 1994, Bezos pitched MacKenzie his wild idea: ditching Wall Street to sell books online. Most people would’ve balked, but MacKenzie, the supportive partner, told him to go for it. They packed up, moved to Seattle, and started Amazon in their garage. MacKenzie wasn’t just the “wife behind the genius”; she was hands-on, negotiating freight contracts, managing accounts, and even helping name the company. She was there when Amazon shipped its first order, back when “next-day delivery” was a pipe dream.
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But as Amazon exploded, MacKenzie stepped back. She wanted to write novels and raise their four kids (three biological sons and an adopted daughter from China). Her debut book, The Testing of Luther Albright, won an American Book Award in 2006, but she put her literary career on hold multiple times to focus on family. In interviews, she joked about homeschooling the kids with “chicken incubation and Mandarin lessons,” trying to keep them grounded despite their dad’s skyrocketing wealth. For 25 years, they seemed like the ultimate power couple, until they weren’t.
The Divorce Heard ‘Round the World (and the $36 Billion Payout)
In January 2019, Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott announced their split in a joint Twitter statement that was oddly… polite. No mudslinging, just gratitude and a promise to co-parent. But behind the scenes, things were messier. The National Enquirer had caught wind of Bezos’ affair with Lauren Sánchez, a former TV anchor, and threatened to publish racy texts unless he backed off their investigation. Bezos, never one to back down, went full scorched earth, publishing a blog post accusing the tabloid of extortion. The scandal turned their divorce into a global spectacle.
The financial settlement, finalized months later, was staggering. MacKenzie walked away with 4% of Amazon, worth roughly $36 billion at the time, making her the third-richest woman in the world overnight. Bezos kept 75% of their Amazon shares (and full voting control), but MacKenzie’s stake still left her with more money than most countries’ GDPs. What did she do next? The opposite of what anyone expected. Instead of buying private islands or launching a rival tech empire, she quietly signed the Giving Pledge, vowing to donate most of her fortune.
And donate she did—fast. By mid-2025, MacKenzie has given away over $19 billion to more than 2,000 nonprofits, focusing on racial equity, education, and COVID relief. Her style? No-strings-attached, no-nonsense philanthropy. She doesn’t demand naming rights or sit on boards; she just cuts checks and lets organizations do their work. Habitat for Humanity got $436 million. Planned Parenthood scored $275 million. Even small nonprofits, like a Hawaii wildfire recovery fund, landed multi-million-dollar gifts.
Meanwhile, Bezos moved on with Sánchez, planning a lavish Venice wedding for June 2025 (complete with A-list guests like Kim Kardashian and Bill Gates). MacKenzie, ever the contrast, remarried—and re-divorced—a Seattle science teacher, Dan Jewett, in under two years. No drama, no headlines, just a quick, amicable split.
The Legacy of the First Mrs. Bezos
Today, MacKenzie Scott’s name isn’t tied to Bezos anymore; she reclaimed her maiden name, then swapped “Bezos” for her middle name, Scott. She’s not just “the ex-wife”; she’s a literary award winner, a billionaire philanthropist, and one of Time’s most influential people. And while Bezos builds rockets and plans space hotels, MacKenzie’s quietly redistributing wealth faster than anyone in history.
Their story? A reminder that even the messiest endings can lead to surprising second acts. And that sometimes, the quietest ex in the room is the one rewriting the rules entirely.
Latest update: As of June 2025, MacKenzie Scott’s donations have surpassed $19 billion, while Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s Venice wedding is underway, marking a full-circle moment for the Amazon founder’s personal life.
