How Three Tech Billionaires' Former Partners Are Redistributing Their Wealth
MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates, and Laurene Powell Jobs have become major philanthropic donors after their marriages to tech founders ended. Scott gave $7.2 billion to 186 organizations in 2025, while French Gates has committed $1 billion through Pivotal Ventures to support women and girls. French Gates has also recently highlighted menopause and women's midlife health as a priority.
MacKenzie Scott divorced Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos in 2019 after 25 years. In 2025, she donated $7.2 billion to 186 organizations, becoming the year’s leading donor. Melinda French Gates split from Microsoft’s Bill Gates in 2021 after 27 years and later resigned as co-chair of their foundation.
French Gates founded Pivotal Ventures in 2015 and pledged $1 billion in 2024 to support women and girls. She has recently focused on menopause and midlife women’s health. Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Apple’s Steve Jobs, is among these philanthropic women reshaping giving.
Their giving could expand funding for nonprofits, women’s programs, and midlife health research, potentially benefiting groups that often lack sustained support. It may also intensify public expectations that tech wealth should be directed toward social causes, influencing how other billionaires are viewed. At the same time, the scale of these donations could raise questions about accountability and whether private philanthropy can substitute for broader public systems. The impact may depend on how recipients use funds and whether these efforts produce lasting change.