Musk criticizes MacKenzie Scott’s $26 billion philanthropy

Elon Musk criticized MacKenzie Scott’s multibillion-dollar philanthropy in a brief reply on X, aligning himself with a user who said her giving was making the world worse. The exchange drew attention because Fortune has reported that Scott has donated more than $26 billion in recent years through her organization, Yield Giving.

Scott, the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has become one of the most visible donors in American philanthropy. Fortune reported that her gifts have gone to thousands of organizations, many of which had not previously received donations of comparable size.

The latest exchange began after Pubity, a viral media and social news brand, posted on X on June 27 that Scott’s $26.3 billion in donations made her one of the largest individual donors in history. Fortune reported that Scott was recently confirmed as the biggest megadonor in 2025.

An X account using the handle @FrenlyOfficer replied to Pubity’s post by saying Scott was spending the money in a way that made the world worse. Musk then responded to that comment: “Sadly, yes.”

Fortune described Musk as having recently become the world’s first trillionaire before losing that status, while remaining the world’s richest man. The publication also reported that Musk received a $1 trillion pay package from Tesla in late 2025.

Musk has questioned how philanthropy is done

Musk has previously said he supports helping people but finds effective giving difficult. In a December 2025 episode of the WTF podcast with Nikhil Kamath, Musk said, “I agree with love of humanity, and I think we should try to do things that help our fellow human beings,” before adding, “But it’s very hard.”

In the same interview, Musk said the hard part was giving money away in a way that helps people. “It’s very easy to give money away to get the appearance of goodness,” he said. “It is very difficult to give money away for the reality of goodness. Very difficult.”

Scott’s approach has drawn praise from some philanthropy watchers because she gives large, unrestricted grants. Fortune reported that many of her donations arrive as surprises to recipients and come with less red tape than is typical for gifts of that size.

French Gates has praised Scott’s giving

Melinda French Gates has criticized some billionaires for not giving away wealth quickly enough, including some who signed the Giving Pledge. Fortune reported that more than 250 wealthy people have signed the pledge, which asks signatories to commit to giving away most of their wealth.

In a December 2025 interview with Wired, French Gates said some pledge signers had not given enough. She added that some donors were giving “at massive scale” and said the pledge was meant to show that such giving can be done.

French Gates also praised Scott in a Fortune interview published earlier this month. “Actions speak louder than words,” she said, pointing to Scott’s giving over the past year and her comments about historically Black colleges and universities in the United States.

This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.