The open letter, signed by 21 current and former Blue Origin employees, claims the rocket company fosters a ‘toxic’ and sexist environment, leaving staffers feeling ‘dehumanised’ and causing some to have suicidal thoughts. The damning letter also accuses the spaceflight company, created by Amazon founder Bezos, of sacrificing safety to get ahead in his space race with rival fellow billionaires Sir Richard Branson, at Virgin Galactic, and Elon Musk, at SpaceX.
"Competing with other billionaires – and ‘making progress for Jeff’ – seemed to take precedence over safety concerns that would have slowed down the schedule," wrote Alexandra Abrams, former head of employee communications at Blue Origin. Abrams, who was fired from Blue Origin in 2019 (for transgressions refuted by Abrams), signed her name alongside 20 anonymous current and former employees.
"When Jeff Bezos flew to space this July, we did not share his elation," the letter said. "Instead...