Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 06, 2025

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin accused of fostering 'toxic' workplace by current, former employees

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin accused of fostering 'toxic' workplace by current, former employees

Employees accuse Blue Origin leadership of creating sexist work environment for female employees, ignoring safety and environmental concerns
A group of 21 former and current Blue Origin employees have penned an essay arguing Jeff Bezos' aerospace company is "stuck in a toxic past."

The group, led by former Blue Origin head of employee communications Alexandra Abrams, accuses the company's leadership of creating a sexist work environment for female employees, stifling internal feedback and ignoring safety and environmental concerns.

They argue the workplace culture has "taken a toll on the mental health of many of the people who make Blue Origin’s operations possible," citing some employees who are "terrified of the potential consequences for speaking out against the wealthiest man on the planet" and others who " have experienced periods of suicidal thoughts after having their passion for space manipulated in such a toxic environment."

"You cannot create a culture of safety and a culture of fear at the same time," Abrams told "CBS Mornings" in an interview. "I’ve gotten far enough away from it that I’m not afraid enough to let them silence me anymore."

The essay, published on Lioness, notes that while workforce gender gaps are common in the space industry, they "manifest in a particular brand of sexism" at Blue Origin.

The employees allege that one senior executive in Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith's "loyal inner circle" was reported to human resources multiple times for sexual harassment. Rather than taking action against him, Smith "personally made him a member of the hiring committee for filling a senior HR role in 2019," the essay claims.

Another former executive in charge of recruiting employees is accused in the essay of frequently treating women in a condescending and demeaning manner, calling them "baby girl," "baby doll," or "sweetheart" and inquiring about their dating lives. The employee, who allegedly had a "close personal relationship with Bezos", was let go after physically groping a female subordinate.

In addition, the group alleges that when employees, including some of Blue Origin's engineers, spoke out about safety concerns, they were either forced out or offered payment in exchange for signing more restrictive nondisclosure agreements.

According to the essay, Blue Origin leadership "demonstrated increasing impatience" last year with New Shepard’s low flight schedule and routinely communicated the company's goal to scale from a few flights per year to more than 40.

"When Jeff Bezos flew to space this July, we did not share his elation. Instead, many of us watched with an overwhelming sense of unease. Some of us couldn’t bear to watch at all," employees wrote. "Competing with other billionaires — and ‘making progress for Jeff’ — seemed to take precedence over safety concerns that would have slowed down the schedule."

On top of the safety and sexism claims, employees said that, despite Bezos touting environmentally-friendly initiatives, Blue Origin has detailed no concrete plans on how it will become carbon neutral or significantly reduce its environmental footprint. Instead, the essay says the company ordered machinery without considering its environmental impact and built a headquarters that "is not a LEED-certified building and was built on wetlands that were drained for construction."

"We did not see sustainability, climate change, or climate justice influencing Blue Origin’s decision-making process or company culture," employees said.

A spokesperson for Blue Origin told FOX Business that Abrams was "dismissed for cause" in 2019 after "repeated warnings for issues involving federal export control regulations." In addition, they emphasized that the company has "no tolerance for discrimination or harassment of any kind."

"We provide numerous avenues for employees, including a 24/7 anonymous hotline, and will promptly investigate any new claims of misconduct," the spokesperson said. The statement did not address the safety and environmental concerns.

The allegations come as Blue Origin is preparing for its next suborbital spaceflight on Oct. 12.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
×