Netflix co-founder and executive chairman Reed Hastings has recently donated two million shares of his holdings in the streaming giant.
Reed Hastings' Netflix Stock
According to CNBC, the current value of this generous gift exceeds $1.1 billion, as indicated by a recent SEC filing without the beneficiary's name. However, Deadline reported that the recipient of this significant gift is the Mountain View, California-based Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
The foundation reportedly had $10 billion in assets after gifts from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other technology founders. The Wall Street Journal reported that the charity is popular with tech founders as it gives them tax breaks and privacy.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Reed Hastings, with a net worth of $6.6 billion, possesses a substantial portion of his wealth in Netflix stock. The donation is equivalent to approximately 40% of Hastings' direct holdings and was disclosed in the regulatory filing on Friday.
Reed Hastings' Philanthropic Engagements
According to CNBC, Reed Hastings has a history of engaging in philanthropy. He introduced a donation of $120 million to two historically Black colleges and universities in 2020, along with the United Negro College Fund.
Hastings still holds under three million Netflix shares, with an approximate value of $1.7 billion. His long-standing association with Netflix has earned him multiple sets of options, which he has historically sold over time, netting roughly $2 billion in those sales.
Hastings maintains his role as the executive chairman of Netflix. However, the company has no obligation to divulge the specific reasons for this donation or disclose the recipient's identity. According to CNBC, Netflix shares are up almost 23% year to date but are still about 16% below their 2021 high.
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