Blue Origin, the rocket company founded by Jeff Bezos, is facing allegations of a “toxic” work culture, with senior executives accused of sexually harassing staff, including instances of physical groping. An open letter, purportedly representing the viewpoints of 21 current and former employees, claims that a number of high-ranking executives engaged in consistent inappropriate behavior towards women.
Signed by Alexandra Abrams, former head of employee communications at Blue Origin, the letter highlights a particular executive in CEO Bob Smith’s inner circle who was reported to human resources multiple times for sexual harassment. It further reveals that another senior employee treated female colleagues in a condescending and demeaning manner, using derogatory terms like “baby doll” and “baby girl”. Shockingly, it took a physical groping incident for this individual to be finally dismissed, suggesting preferential treatment due to their close personal relationship with Bezos.
The letter, co-authored by 20 current and former Blue Origin employees who chose to remain anonymous, also accuses the company of prioritizing Bezos’ race against competitors in the space travel industry over engineers’ safety concerns. According to the letter, the pursuit of outdoing other billionaires and “making progress for Jeff” seemed to trump any precautions that may have slowed down operations.
Following the release of the letter, the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) announced its review of the safety allegations, expressing its commitment to taking such matters seriously. Blue Origin’s rocket, New Shepard, recently carried Bezos and three others to the edge of space, surpassing Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic rocket in height reached.
In response to the allegations, a spokesperson from Blue Origin stated that Ms. Abrams was terminated from the company in 2018. The spokesperson emphasized Blue Origin’s zero tolerance policy towards discrimination and harassment, highlighting the numerous channels available for employees to report misconduct, including a 24/7 anonymous hotline. The company further assured a prompt investigation into any new claims brought forward.
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