Why have only 5 billionaires signed up for the Giving Pledge this year? 2022’s generous pledgers include 23andMe’s Anne Wojcicki, Zynga’s Mark Pincus and crypto king Sam Bankman-Fried

Oct 30 , 2022

Anne Wojcicki and Zynga’s Mark Pincus are two of the billionares who joined the Giving Pledge this year, which was founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. Photos: @thisisbillgates/Instagram, Getty Images

The Giving Pledge was founded by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett in 2010, and initially scores of billionaires signed, including Elon Musk and Airbnb’s Brian Chesky

But the number of pledgers has fallen to a record low, with some notable names still absent from the list, including Jeff Bezos, even though his ex-wife Mackenzie Scott joined

The fewest number of billionaires have joined The Giving Pledge this year since the creation of the initiative, which helps philanthropists give away most of their wealth.

The Giving Pledge was founded by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett in 2010 when dozens of America’s wealthiest people pledged to donate the bulk of their fortune to help solve problems in society.

Microsoft co-founder and chairman Bill Gates, his ex wife Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett set up The Giving Pledge together in 2010 to give billionaires like themselves support and advice in giving away most of their wealth. AFP

The list includes Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, and hedge fund manager Bill Ackman among its pledgers.

But 2022 isn’t going so well …

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, seen here with girlfriend Lauren Sanchez, is the second richest person on the planet, so many wonder why he hasn’t yet signed the pledge. Photo: Reuters

Just five billionaires have joined the list this year, down from 14 in 2021. The highest number of pledgers – 58 – joined the list when it was founded in 2010.

Jeff Bezos’ ex wife MacKenzie Scott joined The Giving Pledge in 2019, but he is surprisingly absent from the list. Photo: Invision/AP

Jeff Bezos, ranked by Forbes as the world’s second-richest person worth US$171 billion, is noticeably missing from The Giving Pledge. But his former wife, MacKenzie Scott, joined in 2019.