jeffbezos
Latest
Blue Origin completes its highest-ever test flight
Blue Origin's first test flight of 2018 was a success, and then some. After last-minute weather setbacks, Jeff Bezos' outfit completed its eighth New Shepard launch and landing, including a touchdown for the dummy-equipped Crew Capsule 2.0. More importantly, it represented a crucial milestone -- the mission reached an apogee of 351,000 feet, which is both the highest altitude yet and the target for Blue Origin's full-fledged service.
Blue Origin will livestream its first test flight of 2018
Blue Origin is gearing up for its eighth test flight, which also happens to be its first for 2018, on April 29th. Thankfully, it's one we'll be able to watch: Blue Origin chief Jeff Bezos has announced on Twitter that it's live streaming the event on Sunday. The company hasn't posted the stream's details yet, but you can expect it to go live around 8:30AM CDT (9:30AM Eastern) when the launch window opens.
Amazon has 100 million Prime members
Amazon has just released its annual shareholder letter and it's a major one. For the first time since the company launched Prime 13 years ago, Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos revealed today that the subscription service has 100 million paid members globally. He said that, in 2017 alone, Amazon shipped over five billion items all around the world, highlighting that a big part of the service's growth is thanks to its recent expansion to countries like Luxembourg, Mexico, Singapore and the Netherlands.
Leaked Amazon figures show TV drives millions of Prime signups
Amazon is notoriously secretive about its sales figures, from how many Kindles it has sold to how many subscribers pay for Prime. Reuters is reporting that it has obtained leaked documents that, if true, will shed plenty of light on at least one part of Amazon's business -- Prime Video. If you thought Amazon was keeping quiet because its projects were flops, think again, because some of its shows are actually more popular than some of the fare you'll find on basic cable.
Blue Origin isn't interested in a race with SpaceX
When we talk about the current era of private spaceflight, the phrase "space race" is thrown around quite often. It's meant as a good thing; a space race against the Russians is what put American astronauts on the moon. The idea of rocket billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos working day and night to outdo one another in some spectacle of bravado may sound appealing; it would certainly have entertainment value. But a space race isn't necessarily, in and of itself, a good thing. After all, it's why we've been stuck in low Earth orbit for going on five decades.
Installation begins on Bezos-backed 10,000 year clock
How will our actions affect our grandchildren? Our great-grandchildren? And their great-grandchildren? That's the kind of long-term thinking that the non-profit organization the Long Now is trying to foster. And now Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has revealed that construction has begun on the organization's ambitious project, the 10,000 year clock.
Jeff Bezos’ master plan is to have no plan
The richest man in the world has been using his wealth in unexpected ways. Jeff Bezos announced this week that Amazon would create an independent company with JPMorgan and Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. The new venture seeks to keep employee health-care costs under control and will initially focus on technology that would "provide U.S. employees and their families with simplified, high-quality and transparent healthcare at a reasonable cost."
Amazon teases Alexa Super Bowl ad starring Jeff Bezos
If you want a good barometer of how far Amazon Alexa has come, you just need to look at the company's teaser for its Super Bowl LII ad. Where Amazon's first-ever Super Bowl commercial was eager to sell you on the still-unproven Echo using as much star power as possible, the biggest star (so far) in the teaser is Jeff Bezos -- you know, the company's own CEO. The clip has Bezos giving the tentative go-ahead for a sketchy Alexa replacement after the AI assistant loses her voice.
Bezos family donates $33 million to Dreamers scholarship program
A number of tech companies and executives have voiced support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. But Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie have just given $33 million in support to DACA recipients, also known as Dreamers. The two just donated the money to TheDream.US, which provides scholarships to Dreamers, and their donation will give 1,000 DACA recipients money to attend college. It's the largest donation in history of TheDream.US. "My dad came to the US when he was 16 as part of Operation Pedro Pan," Jeff Bezos said in a statement. "He landed in this country alone and unable to speak English. With a lot of grit and determination -- and the help of some remarkable organizations in Delaware -- my dad became an outstanding citizen, and he continues to give back to the country that he feels blessed him in so many ways. MacKenzie and I are honored to be able to help today's Dreamers by funding these scholarships."
Blue Origin might launch a manned New Shepard flight in 2018
We might witness several new space vehicles blast off with a human crew onboard for the first time next year. One of them could be Blue Origin's New Shepard launch system. According to Jeff Ashby, the private space corporation's director of safety and mission assurance, Blue Origin is "about roughly a year out from human flights, depending on how the test program goes." Ashby spoke at the Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference just a few days after his company successfully sent Crew Capsule 2.0 to suborbital space with "Mannequin Skywalker" on board.
Watch Blue Origin's test dummy experience space tourism
Yesterday we got an exterior view of the first flight for Blue Origin's Crew Capsule 2.0, but now the company is back to show us what it's like from inside. Its plan is to offer "space tourism" trips that take six people at a time beyond the Karman Line to experience weightlessness and views through the capsule's "biggest windows in space." The test capsule isn't looking as polished as the concept images we'd seen before, but this 11-minute video is a pretty good preview of what customers can expect when Blue Origin starts putting real people on top of its New Shepard spacecraft. Plus, according to Jeff Bezos, passengers will be able to get out of their seats to experience zero-g, and on the ground perhaps enjoy the company of this Blue2D2 landing pad robot. Take that, SpaceX drone ship.
Blue Origin tests Crew Capsule 2.0 with 'biggest windows in space'
Jeff Bezos' rocket company isn't quite ready for space tourism, but today's test flight gets it a bit closer. Bezos tweeted that for the first time, Blue Origin has tested version 2.0 of its Crew Capsule, and while he didn't mention how luxurious the test unit is, it does feature "the largest windows in space." Measuring at 2.4 feet wide and 3.6 feet high, they gave the test dummy a great view from 322,405 feet above ground level.
Amazon reportedly eyeing a 'Lord of the Rings' TV series
Hollywood is buzzing with rumors (Variety, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter) that Warner Bros. and Amazon are considering a deal for a series based on J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books, with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos "personally" involved in the talks. None are claiming that a deal is done yet, although Warner settled a lawsuit with the Tolkien estate this summer that may make it easier to produce new projects. Of course, Amazon has upheaval on its end with the recent removal of Studios head Roy Price, who has been replaced on an interim basis by Albert Cheng. Despite that, and the loss of drama and comedy head under separate allegations of conflict of interest, Amazon Studios recently announced it's moving into The Culver Studios at the end of this year.
Blue Origin’s BE-4 rocket engine completes first hot-fire test
Blue Origin was a bit of a mystery to the public for quite awhile. After all, unlike competitor SpaceX, the company haven't always been welcoming to the scrutiny that comes with inviting the media in. But that changed in early 2016, when reporters were invited into the space tourism company's headquarters for the first time. Since then, Jeff Bezos' company has been more open with the public, and yesterday it tweeted about a new milestone. The company's BE-4 engine successfully completed a hot-fire test. The engine was fired at 50 percent power for three seconds, according to Ars Technica.
Amazon wants US cities to bid for its second major HQ
Amazon is looking for a second company headquarters and wants cities around the US to convince the retail giant why it should take up residency with them. Amazon says it plans to invest more than $5 billion in the new site, called HQ2, while creating up to 50,000 new jobs, and claims the development will bring "tens of billions of dollars in additional investment" to whichever area wins the bid. The company points to its Seattle location as evidence of this, claiming that investments in the site from 2010 to 2016 brought in an "additional $38 billion to the city's economy -- every dollar invested by Amazon in Seattle generated an additional 1.4 dollars for the city's economy overall."
Jeff Bezos crowdsources ideas for his philanthropy
It's no secret that Jeff Bezos has made a massive amount of money from Amazon, so much so that he's the second richest man in the world according to Bloomberg. And now, he's ready to give his money away -- and wants you to help tell him how.
Amazon is trying to be your one-stop subscription shop
Amazon's subscription offerings go beyond Kindle Unlimited, Prime and its various add-ons. The retailer has offered magazine subscriptions for awhile too, and now the company has set up Subscribe with Amazon. It's a hub that gives "subscription providers the ability to offer customers flexible pricing including introductory, monthly and annual pricing options, as well as the opportunity to explore offering Prime exclusive deals," Amazon said in a press release.
After Math: Flying high
It's been a big week for aviation achievements. DARPA successfully flew a model of its next VTOL aircraft, Dr. Peggy Whitson is tacking on three more months to her ISS stay (and breaking another record along the way), and SpaceX is saving big on its reusable rocket costs. Numbers, because how else would you join the 1.60934 kilometer-high club?
Jeff Bezos pumps his personal fortune into Blue Origin
Every year, the US government grants NASA a budget of tens of billions to fund its terrestrial and extraterrestrial research. Just last month, President Trump signed an order confirming it would get $19.1 billion in 2018 in what he called a "national commitment" to "human space exploration." Space is expensive, and it's the main reason why the agency has stepped back from its own rocket launches. However, a number of private companies have stepped up in its place, all of which are financed, in part, by billionaire businessmen. Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, for example, has revealed that he is selling about $1 billion in Amazon stock each year just to fund his personal race to space.
Blue Origin offers a look inside its tourist rocket's capsule
Blue Origin has given you plenty of glimpses of the outside of its tourism-oriented New Shepard rocket, but what about the inside -- you know, the place where you'll spend all of your time? You now have an idea of what to expect. Jeff Bezos' spaceflight operation has released its first interior photos of New Shepard's capsule, and it's clear that we've come a long way from the days of cramped, utilitarian spacecraft cabins. The windows are enormous (just shy of 43 inches tall), and the interior is relatively spacious. You won't mistake the capsule for a cruise ship, but it's undoubtedly designed for civilian sightseers used to some creature comforts.
