Jeff Bezos is not only the richest man in the world. He now has the distinction of having the most expensive divorce in world history: nearly $36 billion going to MacKenzie Bezos. Talk about the wages of sin. Clearly adultery doesn't pay. And that is true no matter your net worth.
Mr. Bezos might think he got a good deal, since he didn't have to give up half his Amazon stock, only a quarter of it. But that was only his stock in Amazon. He didn't give up any part of his ownership in The Washington Post or his space exploration company.
McKenzie Bezos decided to part ways and not fight or sue for the other $36 billion she was probably entitled to in the divorce. She may have thought: What difference would it make if she received $36 or $72 billion? It's still more money than hardly anyone can imagine. By not fighting it, she showed she is magnanimous, and clearly some things in life are far more important than any amount of money.
But to the many of us, Jeff Bezos lost a lot more than $36 billion. He lost the respect of many Americans. As opposed to his reputation as a hard-working low-key family man, he showed his penchant for Hollywood glitz and glamour over age-old virtues.
Editorial on 04/06/2019