Jeff Bezos

Book Profile
Stinking Rich Pierces Myth of the Generous Billionaire
Carl Rhodes’ forthcoming Stinking Rich: The Four Myths of the Good Billionaire is among the better of several recent aggressive, populist, progressive critiques of, well, billionairehood, in and of itself.
by Michael E. Hartmann on December 18, 2024

Organization Trends
InfluenceWatch Friday
The information compiled in InfluenceWatch gives news outlets and other interested parties to use this research in future reporting on significant topics that are often overlooked by the American public.
by Jonathan Harsh on August 16, 2024

Philanthropy
A Conversation with Symposium Contributor Joel Kotkin
A prolific author and incisive commentator, Joel Kotkin is the Roger Hobbs Presidential Fellow in Urban Futures at Chapman University in Orange, Calif., executive director of Urban Reform Institute in Houston,…
by Michael E. Hartmann on March 3, 2023

Philanthropy
Left-Wing Billionaire MacKenzie Scott
MacKenzie Scott, ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has made a tremendous effort to give away her wealth in record time, and she ought to be commended for it. As…
by Parker Thayer on November 2, 2022

Foundation Watch
Philanthropy for “Citizens of the World”: Community Foundations
America has always had its patricians, but as the word suggests, they saw themselves as patriotic “fathers” of their country, and their wealth and prestige were tied up in their…
by Hayden Ludwig on September 20, 2021

Foundation Watch
Philanthropy for “Citizens of the World”: Grants
So which politically active organizations are the biggest beneficiaries of community foundation money? To sift through tens of thousands of grants and avoid cherry-picking recipients, we identified nonprofits that are…
by Hayden Ludwig on September 20, 2021

Foundation Watch
Philanthropy for “Citizens of the World”: Donors
Community foundation grants ultimately originated with (mostly) anonymous donors, not the community foundations themselves, which serve as conduits for donor-advised-fund account holders. The largest community foundation givers on this list…
by Hayden Ludwig on September 20, 2021

Foundation Watch
Philanthropy for “Citizens of the World”: What Is Philanthropy For?
Who does philanthropy serve? Until we answer that question—one that our forebears understood—community foundations, private foundations, and 501(c) groups are immaterial. Philanthropos is the love of mankind rooted in the…
by Hayden Ludwig on September 20, 2021

Philanthropy
Local Philanthropy Isn’t Local for ‘Citizens of the World’
America’s liberal plutocrats’ “philanthropy” is more political than charitable and utterly disconnected from its roots in Christianity’s love for one’s fellow man. It isn’t only the Ford Foundation or George…
by Hayden Ludwig on August 11, 2021

Organization Trends
The Political Influence of Billionaires
The way billionaires and big tech are attempting to affect democratic processes via political spending is on nearly everyone’s radar after the 2020 election. Jeff Bezos and Amazon have demonstrated…
by John Byrne on March 24, 2021