Elon Musk stirred controversy when he publicly criticized MacKenzie Scott’s philanthropic efforts in a post on the social media platform X, a platform he acquired for $44 billion in late 2022. Musk’s comments, which he later deleted, targeted Scott’s charitable donations following her divorce from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in 2019, suggesting that wealthy ex-wives who donate contribute to the downfall of Western Civilization.
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The catalyst for Musk’s remarks was a user on X who expressed dissatisfaction with Scott’s donations to organizations focusing on race and gender issues. This critique prompted Musk to weigh in, branding Scott’s charitable fund as “The AWFL Fund,” casting it as the epitome of an undesirable faction within the United States.
While Musk swiftly removed his post, the underlying tension between him and Scott seems to stem from her support for political action committees aligned with the Democratic Party, a stance that Musk previously criticized as deceptive, referring to them as “PACs posing as charities” in a social media post in May 2022.
Scott’s philanthropic endeavors, as outlined on her website, encompass a wide array of causes, including racial equity, LGBTQ+ equity, gender equity, public health, climate change, and the promotion of functional democracy. Despite the controversy sparked by Musk’s remarks, Scott remains dedicated to her mission of using her wealth to effect positive change in society.
