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I'm conflicted. On the one hand, he did fund a spaceship company. On the other, I'm not sure how much input he had into the actual construction of a spaceship

I'm conflicted. On the one hand, he did fund a spaceship company. On the other, I'm not sure how much input he had into the actual construction of a spaceship. It's kind of like how a person that builds a hot-rod car gets much more respect from me than a person that buys a Bugatti supercar. WooHoo, you can whip out your checkbook and write a $1MM check. Big deal. That other guy worked on the suspension and knows how the fuel system works. That's much more impressive.

johnwheeler 5y ago
To me it comes down to Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations, and specialization. We live in a market economy where you trade one form of specialized goods and services for another; this being a most extreme example so still impressive. But I hear what you’re saying for sure. The relative value of all such specializations should weighed by the time commitment and expertise required for mastery and that experience measured on its own merits.
t0mbstone 5y ago
It's true, he didn't actually build the space ship himself... He knew he didn't have the skills or manpower to build a rocket himself, so he assembled an organization of people who would help him build it. Then, he risked his own LIFE to be one of the first people to ride the rocket. If that's not putting trust in your engineers, I don't know what is. Sure, you can hate on him for being rich, but at the end of the day, the man knows how to build successful companies.
- nyghtly 5y ago
  Oh, please. I took a greater risk driving to the grocery store this morning. Bezos's spaceship took 15 test flights before it got the all clear to carry human passengers. You know how they say that "there's no safer way to travel" than flying in an airplane? Well, now there is. "After 15 successful unoccupied test flights to space since 2015, Bezos finally declared it was time to put people on board. The Federal Aviation Administration agreed last week, approving the commercial space license." And when it comes to Blue Origin's success, the credit should be given to Bezos's existing fortune, not to his business prowess, as much as that played a role in the growth of Amazon. "Bezos has said he finances the rocket company by selling $1 billion in Amazon stock each year." https://apnews.com/article/jeff-bezos-space-e0afeaa813ff0bdf23c37fe16fd34265 https://apnews.com/article/jeff-bezos-space-e0afeaa813ff0bdf...

johnwheeler 5y ago

To me it comes down to Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations, and specialization. We live in a market economy where you trade one form of specialized goods and services for another; this being a most extreme example so still impressive. But I hear what you’re saying for sure. The relative value of all such specializations should weighed by the time commitment and expertise required for mastery and that experience measured on its own merits.

t0mbstone 5y ago

It's true, he didn't actually build the space ship himself... He knew he didn't have the skills or manpower to build a rocket himself, so he assembled an organization of people who would help him build it. Then, he risked his own LIFE to be one of the first people to ride the rocket. If that's not putting trust in your engineers, I don't know what is. Sure, you can hate on him for being rich, but at the end of the day, the man knows how to build successful companies.

nyghtly 5y ago
Oh, please. I took a greater risk driving to the grocery store this morning. Bezos's spaceship took 15 test flights before it got the all clear to carry human passengers. You know how they say that "there's no safer way to travel" than flying in an airplane? Well, now there is. "After 15 successful unoccupied test flights to space since 2015, Bezos finally declared it was time to put people on board. The Federal Aviation Administration agreed last week, approving the commercial space license." And when it comes to Blue Origin's success, the credit should be given to Bezos's existing fortune, not to his business prowess, as much as that played a role in the growth of Amazon. "Bezos has said he finances the rocket company by selling $1 billion in Amazon stock each year." https://apnews.com/article/jeff-bezos-space-e0afeaa813ff0bdf23c37fe16fd34265 https://apnews.com/article/jeff-bezos-space-e0afeaa813ff0bdf...