Jeff Bezos announced he is giving away $100 million each to activist Van Jones and humanitarian José Andrés during a press conference Tuesday morning following his ten minute space flight with his company Blue Origin.
At the end of the press conference, Bezos said, “I have a little surprise for you. I am announcing today, a new philanthropic initiative … The Courage and Civility Award. It recognizes leaders who aim high, and who pursue solutions with courage, and who always do so with civility.”
Bezos said that “we should question ideas, not the person. … We need unifiers and not vilifiers. We want people who argue hard and act hard for what they truly believe.”
“We do have role models,” Bezos said before the slideshow introduced Jones as the first recipient of the $100 million award. The award is designed for the recipients to give to charities of their choice.
Bezos has a net worth of more than $204 billion, a fortune he built through online retail giant Amazon. Bezos also owns the Washington Post. – READ MORE
Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --