In 2016, after failing to lure SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell, Jeff Bezos appointed Bob Smith to lead Blue Origin. A decision that hindsight reveals as questionable.
Brad Stone's book Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire, published May 11, offers revealing insights. While much focuses on Amazon, it also covers Bezos' voice talent for Alexa (Nina Rolle) and, crucially, Blue Origin's challenges.
Stone details how, in fall 2016, Bezos grew concerned over Blue Origin's slow progress. SpaceX, its key rival, was miles ahead—recovering Falcon 9 boosters at sea, securing NASA and Defense Department contracts.
Bezos summoned Blue Origin executives to his Seattle office for a review. They highlighted poor internal communication, endless meetings, and misguided spending.
These talks prompted Bezos to seek an external CEO for the first time. After notifying President Rob Meyerson, he targeted Gwynne Shotwell—hired by Elon Musk in 2002 after a 15-minute interview. She declined.
After a year-long search, Bezos hired Bob Smith from Honeywell Aerospace. The goal: Position Blue Origin to rival SpaceX in government contracts. Yet results suggest otherwise.
Smith built his team from 'traditional' aerospace giants like Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman—firms rooted in a culture of caution, clashing with SpaceX's risk-taking ethos.
This cautious approach widened the gap with SpaceX.
Once neck-and-neck in the space race, SpaceX now boasts over 100 Falcon launches, 1,500+ Starlink satellites, and multiple ISS crew missions. Blue Origin has flown New Shepard suborbitally just 15 times, with a crewed flight eyed for July—but far from closing the gap.
On contracts, Blue Origin lags: Excluded from national security launches awarded to United Launch Alliance and SpaceX, as New Glenn remains non-operational. NASA selected SpaceX alone for its lunar lander, prompting Bezos' lawsuit.
Change may be afoot. Bezos plans to step down as Amazon CEO this summer, becoming executive chairman to focus more on Blue Origin. Whether this turns the tide remains to be seen.
