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Share to FacebookShare to TwitterShare to LinkedinTopline Twenty-one former and current employees of Blue Origin, the rocket company created by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, released a letter Thursday claiming it disregarded safety concerns to prioritize company achievements in the billionaire space race, stifled feedback and created a sexist work culture.

WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 09: Jeff Bezos, owner of Blue Origin, introduces a new lunar landing module … [+] called Blue Moon during an event at the Washington Convention Center, May 9, 2019 in Washington, DC. Bezos said the module will be used to land humans the moon once again. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Getty Images Key Facts The letter — whose lead author is the former head of Blue Origin employee communications, Alexandra Abrams — claims female employees’ concerns were often shut down or demeaned at the company, and senior leaders acted “consistently inappropriate” with female employees.

The letter claims one senior executive who was close to Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith, was reported numerous times for sexual harassment to human resources, but was instead placed on the hiring committee for a senior HR position.

Another former executive, who was allegedly close to Bezos, was also accused of calling female employees “condescending” names like “baby girl,” “baby doll,” or “sweetheart,” and was only let go from the company after he groped an employee.

Employees allege the company has a pattern of prioritizing execution speed and cost reduction over quality, citing an incident in 2018 where a team documented over 1,000  problem reports related to the company’s rocket engines that were never addressed.

Abrams said in a CBS interview that when she brought up employee concerns, leadership told her they did not have a ​​”high-enough risk tolerance.”

The letter claims employees have felt “dehumanized” and have experienced “suicidal thoughts” due to the company’s alleged desire to push them to their limits to compete with other billionaire-backed space companies like Elon Musk’s Space X and Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic.

Blue Origin said in a statement to Forbes it will “promptly investigate any new claims of misconduct” and “has no tolerance for discrimination or harassment of any kind.”

Blue Origin also said Abrams was dismissed from the company two years ago after “repeated warnings” for “issues involving federal export control regulations.”

Crucial Quote: “You cannot create a culture of safety and a culture of fear at the same time. They are incompatible,” Abrams said in the CBS interview, referencing Blue Origin’s statement that safety is its top priority in its space flights.

Big Number More than 3,600. That is how many employees Blue Origin has globally, according to the open letter.

Key Background Blue Origin was founded in 2000 by Bezos, and quickly made strides in developing a launch vehicle. The company flew its first test vehicle in 2005 and first rocket in 2006, and in 2012, flew the first test of its New Shepard suborbital spaceflight system. In 2015, it successfully launched a second test flight of its New Shepard suborbital spaceflight system, marking the first time a rocket went to space and landed back on Earth. Bezos launched to space successfully on July 20 with three other passengers, nine days after Branson beat him there in Virgin Galactic’s rocket plane. Bezos said he would start selling tickets for rides to space on the New Shepard, saying in July nearly $100 million worth of tickets had been sold on future flights. 

What To Watch Out For Blue Origin is preparing to launch a mission on October 12 to carry four astronauts, including Dr. Chris Boshuizen and Glen de Vries. There is no word yet if the allegations, which Abrams claimed was submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration, will impact this space flight.

Tangent Bezos and Musk are engaged in a close battle for the world’s richest person. The pair have traded the title multiple times this year on Forbes’ real-time tracker, but Musk overtook Bezos on Monday, thanks to a surge in Tesla’s stock price. He became the third person with a net worth of $200 billion. Bezos reached that milestone in August 2020.

Further Reading Jeff Bezos Successfully Takes Off On Blue Origin’s First Crewed Spaceflight (Forbes)

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin Sues Over NASA’s Lunar Lander Contract To SpaceX (Forbes)

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