FACT CHECK: Is MacKenzie Bezos The Richest Woman In The World?
An image shared on Facebook more than 4,400 times claims MacKenzie Bezos, the billionaire ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is the richest woman in the world.
Verdict: False
Forbes ranks MacKenzie Bezos at fourth richest woman in the world, while Bloomberg puts her in the number five spot.
Fact Check:
The Facebook post alleges in an image that MacKenzie Bezos became the richest woman in the world after getting $40 billion in her divorce from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. It has been shared more than 4,400 times.
The couple announced their decision to divorce after 25 years of marriage in a joint Twitter statement in January. They finalized their divorce in July, according to Reuters.
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) January 9, 2019
“As our family and close friends know, after a long period of loving exploration and trial separation, we have decided to divorce and continue our shared lives as friends,” tweeted the couple.
As part of the divorce settlement, Jeff Bezos transferred a quarter of his Amazon stock or 19.7 million shares to MacKenzie Bezos, according to Forbes. That 4-percent stake in Amazon and her other assets make her the fourth richest woman in the world with an estimated net worth of $35.3 billion. (RELATED: Is J.K. Rowling The First Person To Fall Off The Forbes Billionaires List For Charitable Giving?)
By Forbes’ estimate, only three women are richer (as of the end of the Dec. 23. trading day): Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, the granddaughter of L’Oreal’s founder, worth $57.6 billion; Alice Walton, the daughter of Walmart’s founder, worth $52.9 billion; and Julia Koch, the widow of billionaire philanthropist David Koch, worth $43.2 billion.
As of the end of the Dec. 23 trading day, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index offers slightly different rankings for the richest women in the world, putting MacKenzie Bezos ($36 billion) at number five behind Koch ($62.1 billion), Bettencourt Meyers ($58.6 billion), Walton ($53.1 billion) and Jacqueline Mars ($42.7 billion), the granddaughter of candy company Mars’ founder.
Brad Sylvester/Daily Caller News Foundation
Jeff Bezos currently ranks as the second wealthiest person in the world at an estimated $112 billion, behind only Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, who has an estimated net worth of $113 billion, according to Bloomberg.
Forbes has Jeff Bezos ranked as the richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of $111.3 billion, as of end of trading day Dec. 23.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].
