Key facts
- Elon Musk is publicly criticizing MacKenzie Scott's philanthropy.
- Musk has shared or commented on multiple posts on X that are critical of Scott's giving.
- Scott's Yield Giving has disbursed over $26 billion to more than 2,000 non-profits.
- Musk has previously expressed concern over Scott's donations to progressive causes.
Elon Musk has renewed his public criticism of MacKenzie Scott's philanthropic efforts, reposting and commenting on numerous posts on the social media platform X that question her giving.
Musk has shared or approved of at least eight posts in the past four days that are critical of Scott's approach to philanthropy. One such post, which Musk shared, claimed that Scott "burned through $26 billion of her ex-husband's money and accomplished absolutely nothing of note." Scott's Yield Giving organization states that her team has distributed over $2,700 gifts totaling more than $26 billion, including over $7 billion last year, to more than 2,000 non-profits.
In response to another critical post, Musk agreed, stating, "Unfortunately, she's spending it on making the world a worse place." He also used emojis to suggest agreement with a post implying that Jeff Bezos disapproves of his ex-wife's substantial donations to progressive non-profits.
These comments from Musk come amid ongoing criticism of his own initiatives, including his Department of Government Efficiency, which has been associated with cuts to USAID. Musk has defended these actions as efforts to curb waste and abuse, though figures like Bill Gates have warned of potential negative consequences from disrupting foreign aid.
Musk has also been publicly critical of New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, who posted a list of individuals who allegedly died due to Musk's aid cuts. Musk has previously described Scott's rapid and large-scale distribution of wealth to causes focused on racial equity, social justice, and LGBTQ+ rights as "concerning." In March 2024, he also posted that "super rich ex-wives who hate their former spouse" should be considered among the "Reasons that Western Civilization died."