In a heartfelt Instagram post on Sunday, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced that the company would donate 1 million Australian dollars, or about $690,000, to the Australian wildfire recovery effort.
That’s less than he made every five minutes in 2018, according to Business Insider’s estimate, based on Forbes’ calculation of Bezos’ net worth at the start and end of 2018.
The internet was quick to criticize the size of Amazon’s donation, noting that it represented a tiny fraction of Amazon’s $936 billion market cap. Facebook has said it will donate 1.25 million Australian dollars, and celebrities including Kylie Jenner have pledged larger donations than Amazon. One woman said she raised nearly double what Amazon pledged by selling nude photos online.
Many people have asked Bezos to donate a hefty amount of sum.
Do you think billionaires should be donating?
We live in a capitalist society and it’ll take ages for an average person to become a billionaire. For most it wouldn’t be even possible to achieve in this lifetime. So, when people with money and privilege can help without it effecting them in anyways, why do less and less billionaires donate. And when they do, why is it less amount?
Some would argue that it’s their job to help out every poor person, but that’s not what anyone’s asking them to do. If they do, it’ll be good but they don’t have to. But the Australia bushires affect everyone. The fires have taken away the homes of millions, and if these billionaires can spare money to provide them with food and clothes, they should do it. And do it with a larger amount.
Let us know in the comments down below if you think Jeff Bezos should have donated more.