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Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin: Essay claims ‘toxic’ workplace

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Jeff Bezos, owner of Blue Origin, introduces a new lunar landing module called Blue Moon during an event at the Washington Convention Center, May 9, 2019 in Washington, DC.

According to an essay, posted on Thursday, twenty-one former and current employees of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin claimed that the company was a toxic workplace.| Getty Images

Twenty-one current and former employees of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin claim the space company is a “toxic” workplace, according to an essay posted Thursday.

Led by former Blue Origin head of employee communications Alexandra Abrams, the essay claims that the company pushes workers to sign strict nondisclosure agreements, stifles internal feedback, disregards safety concerns, and creates a sexist environment for women. There were also examples of sexual harassment.

Abrams spoke out in a CBS interview on Thursday.

It was posted on Thursday by Lioness. Abrams signed it and indicated that 20 former and current employees had endorsed the essay. Their names are not included.

Blue Origin vice president for communications Linda Mills stated that Abrams was “dismissed with cause” by Blue Origin in 2019, “after multiple warnings regarding issues involving federal Export Control Regulations.”

Mills stated that Blue Origin does not tolerate discrimination and harassment. We offer many avenues to employees including an anonymous hotline that is available 24/7. Any new allegations of misconduct will be investigated promptly.

Blue Origin fired Abrams, which she acknowledged during the CBS interview. In an interview with CBS Mornings she said she was shocked to hear that Blue Origin had fired Abrams. Her manager then told her, “Bob and me can’t believe you anymore,” in reference to CEO Bob Smith. She claims that she works as an employee communication specialist at a large software firm.

Although it claimed that gender gap in work force are common in space, the essay also stated that Blue Origin has seen a specific form of sexism.

Two examples were given by senior leaders. The essay claimed that “a senior executive in CEO Bob Smith’s loyal inner circle” repeatedly complained to the company’s human resources department about claims of sexual harassment. According to the essay, Smith was able to make the former executive part of Blue Origin’s hiring committee during the time the company needed a high-ranking human resource position.

The second instance relates to a former executive who allegedly called women “baby girls”, “baby dolls” or “sweethearts” and inquired about their relationships. Blue Origin would advise female hires that they avoid this executive because he allegedly shared a close personal relationship with Bezos.

According to the essay, it was only after he physically touched a female subordinate that he was finally let go.

Blue Origin headquarters are located in Kent, Washington.

Blue Origin

Blue Origin also intensified the use of strict nondisclosure agreements, the essay says, pushing all employees to sign new contracts with a nondisparagement clause in 2019. According to former and current employees, Blue Origin’s work culture “has taken a toll” on “many” individuals’ mental health. A senior program manager with decades of experience in aerospace and defense claimed she had the most miserable time at Blue Origin.

The essay also cites safety concerns as a key component. “Some of the engineers that ensured the safety and security of the rockets” were either fired or made to pay after being criticized internally.

The essay said that last year, Blue Origin leadership showed “increasing impatience” with the low flight rate of its suborbital New Shepard rocket, saying the company’s team needed to jump from “a few flights per year … to more than 40.”

We did not feel the same excitement when Jeff Bezos went to space in July. Many of us instead watched in awe. “Some of us could not bear watching at all,” it said. “Competing with other billionaires—and ‘making progress for Jeff’— seemed to take precedence over safety concerns that would have slowed down the schedule.”

According to the essay, environmental considerations were not considered when Blue Origin was building its factory in Kent (Washington).

Additionally, Blue Origin’s headquarters in Kent – which opened last year – is not a LEED-certified building, according to the essay, claiming that it “was built on wetlands that were drained for construction.”

These other concerns were not addressed in the statement from Blue Origin’s Mills to CNBC.

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