Musk, Bezos Agree on a Solution to San Francisco Homeless Crisis

Good News Notes: “Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are the two richest people in the world.  They are tech-savvy and entrepreneurs who have both disrupted legacy industries. Automotive with Tesla  (TSLA) – Get Tesla Inc Report for Musk and trade and distribution with Amazon  (AMZN) – Get Amazon.com, Inc. Report for Bezos. They have not finished transforming the world given the…

Walmart makes an investment in vertical farming start-up Plenty

Good News Notes: “Walmart said Tuesday that it is investing in vertical farming company Plenty and plans to carry the start-up’s leafy greens in all California stores later this year. The big-box retail giant did not disclose the size of the equity stake or the terms of the commercial deal, but said a Walmart executive will…

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin launches New Shepard rocket NS-15 test flight

Good News Notes: “Jeff Bezos’ private space company Blue Origin launched and landed the fifteenth test flight of its New Shepard rocket booster and capsule on Wednesday. The mission did not have passengers on board, although the capsule on top of the rocket is designed to carry as many as six people for future flights. Known…

The Vermont Foodbank receives $9 million donation

Good News Notes:  “The Vermont Foodbank has received a $9 million donation — the largest gift amount seen by the nonprofit — from philanthropist Mackenzie Scott. Scott divorced Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in July 2019. As part of the divorce settlement, Scott received $38 billion of Bezos’ estate, making her the world’s wealthiest woman. Since…

Two local nonprofits get millions in grants from Amazon’s Jeff Bezos

Good News Notes: “Two metro Atlanta nonprofits focused on ending homelessness for families are the recipients of multimillion-dollar grants from a philanthropic organization started by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. The Day 1 Families Fund gave a total of $105.9 million in grants to 42 nonprofits in 24 states across the country. In Georgia, MUST Ministries…

Senior dog stuck in Woburn pool is saved by quick-thinking Amazon driver

Good News Notes: “An Amazon delivery driver was in Woburn earlier this month making deliveries when he heard a noise coming from a nearby residence that made him pause. And it was his willingness to investigate, and quick thinking, that would soon save the life of a beloved 14-year-old dog. John Cassabria, who had recently…

MacKenzie Bezos donates $1.6B to charity

Good News Notes: “MacKenzie Bezos said she has given away more than $1.6 billion to a variety of causes over the past year. Bezos divorced Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos last year after 25 years of marriage. She received a 4 percent stake in the business as part of their divorce and has a net worth of $36 billion, according to Forbes….

Amazon to launch $2B venture capital fund to invest in clean energy

Good News Notes: “Amazon.com Inc. is launching a $2 billion internal venture-capital fund focused on technology investments to reduce the impact of climate change, the latest sustainability initiative from the technology giant after criticism of its environmental record. The new fund, which will be called The Climate Pledge Fund, will invest in companies across a number…

Inside Start Small, Jack Dorsey’s $1 billion philanthropy experiment

Good News Notes: “Billionaires are notoriously bad at something that should be quite easy: giving away their money. In the pantheon of the ultra-rich, Jack Dorsey, as the world’s 410th-wealthiest person, is hardly the stingiest offender. But he has now kick-started one of the most radical experiments in this era of historic income inequality — whether it…