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And yet Bezos was quite clear about Blue Origin's long-term goals (https://www.msnbc.com/stephanie-ruhle/watch/jeff-bezos-and-brother-mark-speak-to-msnbc-after-

And yet Bezos was quite clear about Blue Origin's long-term goals (https://www.msnbc.com/stephanie-ruhle/watch/jeff-bezos-and-brother-mark-speak-to-msnbc-after-successful-blue-origin-flight-117068357904 https://www.msnbc.com/stephanie-ruhle/watch/jeff-bezos-and-b...): "We need to take all heavy industry, all polluting industry, and move it into space. And keep Earth as this beautiful gem of a planet that it is..." It would "take decades to achieve, but you have to start. And big things start with small steps." Bezos acknowledges that it won't be achieved in just one (his!) lifetime. That's not selfish at all. Which other 'ultra-wealthy' tech billionaire has such a vision? And that's where these critics fall flat: they're basically petty and stupid. One reason why someone like Bezos is rich, and they're not: long-term vision. Amazon was a disappointment for shareholders, because it reinvested its profits into growth: https://www.ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2014/9/4/why-amazon-has-no-profits-and-why-it-works https://www.ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2014/9/4/why-amazon-... Government initiatives are sometimes driven, but mostly hampered by politics (NASA has a very limited budget!) - unlike private ventures. Remember how Tesla started: by wooing wealthy individuals with exclusive vehicles; it was part of the plan! Moving industry into space is not a new idea, but Blue Origin is taking the first real steps to achieve this.

kiba 5y ago
It's one thing to have a vision, it's another to execute it. As of late, he had made enemies of space fans and people across the space industries, and destroyed the morale of his workers at his own companies, all the while achieving very little. Blue Origin is older than SpaceX, and yet SpaceX is far ahead.
kgin 5y ago
Needs to be clearer. All 99% of people see is Jeff Bezos and William Shatner in cowboy hats. If it’s about moving heavy industry into space they need to spend less time talking about how much fun it is to float around in space.
ericmay 5y ago
Could not agree more. And while people are happy to hate on Bezos and his space adventure I’m very unhappy that we ignore far more meaningful problems and discussions. He’s just a scapegoat. I don’t know what to call this exactly. It’s like when someone is successful doing something that someone else thinks the government only should be doing so they get mad and throw mud and insults. And I don’t really give a crap about Bezos, don’t care for Amazon one way or another. How about we increase NASA’s funding 100x, stop building all new highways, and electrify America? Why are we complaining about Bezos and not our actual leaders that we elect? It’s lazy!

kiba 5y ago

It's one thing to have a vision, it's another to execute it. As of late, he had made enemies of space fans and people across the space industries, and destroyed the morale of his workers at his own companies, all the while achieving very little. Blue Origin is older than SpaceX, and yet SpaceX is far ahead.

kgin 5y ago

Needs to be clearer. All 99% of people see is Jeff Bezos and William Shatner in cowboy hats. If it’s about moving heavy industry into space they need to spend less time talking about how much fun it is to float around in space.

ericmay 5y ago

Could not agree more. And while people are happy to hate on Bezos and his space adventure I’m very unhappy that we ignore far more meaningful problems and discussions. He’s just a scapegoat. I don’t know what to call this exactly. It’s like when someone is successful doing something that someone else thinks the government only should be doing so they get mad and throw mud and insults. And I don’t really give a crap about Bezos, don’t care for Amazon one way or another. How about we increase NASA’s funding 100x, stop building all new highways, and electrify America? Why are we complaining about Bezos and not our actual leaders that we elect? It’s lazy!