MacKenzie Scott has become a power player in philanthropic circles, donating billions to charity since her split with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in 2019. That charitable giving, however, has apparently attracted the ire of a fellow billionaire: X owner Elon Musk, who had words for Scott on his social media platform this week, per Business Insider.
- Scott's philanthropy: On Wednesday, an X user noted that, according to Scott's Yield Giving website, "over half of the orgs to which she's donated so far deal with issues of race and/or gender."
- Musk's retort: "'Super rich ex-wives who hate their former spouse' should ... be listed among 'Reasons that Western Civilization died,' he wrote on X in response, in a since-deleted tweet.
- Why? Although Business Insider notes Musk's vocal pushback of late against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, he's grumbled about Scott in the past. Per TheStreet, Musk holds Scott "responsible for his political problems" and is part of the reason he has turned away from Democrats. In a May 2022 tweet, Musk wrote: "The Dems turned negative over the past ~12 months. At least part of it is Mackenzie's donation to PACs posing as charities." Musk confirmed in a later tweet that he meant MacKenzie Scott and added, "It's safe to say that Mackenzie [ahem] Scott is not exactly a big fan of her ex-husband. Unfortunately, a lot of others are getting caught in the crossfire."
- Musk's own donations: He's given away billions as well, including $5.7 billion in Tesla shares to his Musk Foundation in 2021.
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