- Amazon pledged $690,000 last week to support victims of the Australian wildfires that have devastated the continent.
- However, Amazon is drawing backlash for the size of the donation, which pales in comparison to the company’s $936 billion market cap.
- Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos makes more than $690,000 in five minutes.
- Critics ripped Amazon for pledging smaller donations than Facebook, Kylie Jenner, and Metallica, among others.
- One woman said she raised nearly twice what Amazon pledged by selling nude photos online.
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In a heartfelt Instagram post last week, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced that the company will donate $690,000 to the Australian wildfire recovery effort. That’s roughly how much money he makes in five minutes.
Australia’s wildfires have devastated the country since they began in late July, killing at least 28 people and burning more than 2,000 homes. In a blog post, Amazon said it will channel the money to relief agencies geared towards helping victims and restoring wildlife.
The internet was quick to criticize the size of Amazon’s donation, noting that it represented just a tiny fraction of Amazon’s $936 billion market cap. By contrast, Facebook said it will donate $1.25 million, and celebrities including Kylie Jenner and Metallica both pledged larger donations than Amazon. Sex workers said they raised nearly double what Amazon pledged for the Australia wildfires by selling nude photos online.
Jeff Bezos alone makes roughly $78.5 billion per year, which breaks down to more than $215 million per day, or $149,353 per minute.
An Amazon spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
People reacted to Amazon’s donation with ridicule over the weekend.
—Thick Cave & the Bad Tweets™ (@TimDuffy) January 12, 2020
Metallica announced last week that it would give $750,000 to fire-fighting efforts in Australia.
People pointed out that a model singlehandedly raised roughly $1 million by selling nude photos for charity last week.
—jordan (@JordanUhl) January 12, 2020
The 20-year-old model is still raising money for fire relief.
Kylie Jenner, a billionaire with a significantly smaller net worth than Bezos, said she would donate $1 million.
—Oliver Willis (@owillis) January 12, 2020
Jenner’s donation came after she faced minor backlash for an Instagram post about the fires that was criticized as tasteless.
By the end of the week, many were calling on Amazon to pledge a heftier sum.
—dan solomon (@dansolomon) January 12, 2020
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