Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ space company, has announced layoffs affecting roughly 10 percent of its workforce, or about 1,000 roles. This decision follows years of rapid growth and the successful launch of the New Glenn rocket. The cuts will focus on engineering, research and development, project management, and general managerial layers, as the company looks to prioritize scaling manufacturing output and launch cadence for customers.
Despite not disclosing its total employee count, Blue Origin is estimated to have more than 10,000 employees. Bezos has invested heavily in the company with a vision of establishing human colonies in space and reducing the cost of launching cargo into space. However, Blue Origin has been trailing behind Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Dave Limp, Blue Origin’s CEO, aims to instill urgency in the company after taking over in 2023. The company had been in a perpetual research-and-development cycle due to the abundance of resources from Bezos. The recent layoffs were received with a virtual meeting, followed by an email confirmation to employees.
Despite the layoffs, Blue Origin is making progress with its BE-4 engines, launching a lander to the moon, and contributing to NASA’s Artemis program. Limp remains optimistic about the company’s future and is excited about the increased focus on space by the current administration. He believes Blue Origin’s technologies are versatile enough to support both lunar and Mars missions, positioning the company for success in the evolving space industry.
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