Zillow co-founder Rich Barton. (GeekWire File Photo)

Seattle philanthropists Sarah and Rich Barton have signed the Giving Pledge, joining more than 200 billionaires and ultra-wealthy people around the globe who’ve pledged to give away their massive fortunes.

Rich Barton is the co-founder of Zillow Group and Expedia, and an angel investor who has backed companies such as Avvo, Glassdoor and Nextdoor. A former Microsoft general manager who re-assumed the CEO post of Zillow in 2019, Barton also sits on the board of Netflix.

Sarah Barton is an obstetrician and women’s health advocate who studied at the University of Washington, and now manages the Barton Family Foundation.

The Bartons are already active in philanthropy, so their commitment to the Giving Pledge is not a surprise.

The Giving Pledge was started 10 years ago by philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates and investor Warren Buffett, with the goal of encouraging some of the wealthiest people on the planet to donate the majority of their wealth. To date, 216 philanthropists have joined the pledge, including Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, Salesforce co-founder Marc Benioff and Airbnb co-founder Brian Chesky.

Other Seattleites who’ve signed on include MacKenzie Scott — who was in the news earlier this month for her latest $4 billion donation — the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and angel investors Nick and Leslie Hanauer, who are close friends with the Bartons.

Despite the pandemic, Barton’s net worth has soared in 2020 as shares of Seattle-based online real estate juggernaut Zillow Group more than tripled this year. Zillow Group now boasts a market value of $33 billion. As of May, Barton held 31 percent of the voting power of Zillow’s common stock.

The Bartons join 13 other philanthropists in this latest round of additions to the elite list. See the press release here.

The other signatories include:

  • Marcel Arsenault and Cynda Collins Arsenault, United States
  • Ron and Gayle Conway, United States
  • William Gross, United States
  • Gordon V. Hartman, United States
  • Yan Huo and Xue Fang, United Kingdom
  • Robert E. “Bob” and Dorothy “Dottie” King, United States
  • José Ferreira Neves, Portugal
  • Jim Pattison, Canada
  • Chad Richison, United States
  • Jeff and Marieke Rothschild, United States
  • Stephen A. Schwarzman, United States
  • David and Bonnie Weekley, United States
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