Jeff Bezos Donates Over R1.4 Billion Each to CNN Journalist Van Jones and Chef Jose Andre
- CNN journalist Van Jones and celebrated chef José Andrés received R1.4 billion each from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos
- Jones and Andres will be free to do anything they want with the money, including giving to their preferred charities
- Bezos also thanked Amazon employees and customers for making his trip to space possible
- The billionaire has in the recent past been chastised for not donating more to philanthropy
- Bezos has, however, donated billions of dollars to causes such as climate change and food banks in recent years
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After flying to the edge of space on Tuesday, Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, announced he would donate $100 million (R1.4 billion) to CNN journalist Van Jones and chef José Andrés each.
Source: Getty Images
Jones and Andres, according to Bezos, are free to do anything they want with the money, including giving to their preferred charities.
The money, Bezos said, was tied to a surprise philanthropic initiative he wanted to announce called the Courage and Civility Award, CNN reported.
Thanking those involved
"They can give it all to their own charity or they can share the wealth. It is up to them," Bezos said at a press conference after his trip to space.
The world's wealthiest man further said the prize is intended to recognize those who have exhibited courage and attempted to be a unifier in a contentious world.
"We need unifiers and not vilifiers. We need people who argue hard and act hard for what they believe. But they do that always with civility and never ad hominem attacks," Bezos said
"Unfortunately, we live in a world where this is too often not the case. But we do have role models," he added.
As reported by NPR, Bezos also thanked every Amazon employee and customer for making the trip to space possible, noting it was them who had paid for it all.
Accepting the award
Accepting the award, Jones said that sometimes dreams do come true while appreciating it and later added that it was money for him to give to others who have a similar spirit.
Andrés, who has poured his efforts into feeding those in need around the world, on the other hand, said the award itself could not feed the world on its own.
"But," Andrés added, "this is a start of a new chapter for us."
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Bezos and Richard Branson trip to space
Bezos' altruistic initiative comes as he and other billionaires, including Virgin Galactic investor Richard Branson, face criticism for spending their money on space tourism.
Bezos has been chastised in the past for not donating more to philanthropy, although he has donated billions of dollars to causes such as climate change and food banks in recent years.
Critics argue that instead of flying off into space, the world's wealthiest people should seek to better people's lives on Earth.
Bezos and proponents of space programs, on the other hand, argued that both are possible.
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Source: Briefly News
Maryn Blignaut (Human-Interest HOD) Maryn Blignaut is the Human Interest manager and feature writer. She holds a BA degree in Communication Science, which she obtained from the University of South Africa in 2016. She joined the Briefly - South African News team shortly after graduating and has over six years of experience in the journalism field. Maryn passed the AFP Digital Investigation Techniques course (Google News Initiative), as well as a set of trainings for journalists by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at: maryn.blignaut@briefly.co.za
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
