Jeff Bezos’s aerospace company Blue Origin plans to cut about 10 percent of its workforce, its CEO told staff Thursday, according to an email obtained by The Hill.
The company is eliminating roles in engineering, research and development, and program and project management, as well as “thinning out our layers of management,” Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said.
“Our primary focus in 2025 and beyond is to scale our manufacturing output and launch cadence with speed, decisiveness, and efficiency for our customers,” Limp said.
“We grew and hired incredibly fast in the last few years, and with that growth came more bureaucracy and less focus than we needed,” he continued. “It also became clear that the makeup of our organization must change to ensure our roles are best aligned with executing these priorities.”
The layoffs are expected to impact about 1,000 employees, according to Bloomberg.
Blue Origin, which was founded by Bezos, has struggled to keep pace with Elon Musk’s SpaceX. However, the company secured a high-profile victory last month with the successful launch of its New Glenn rocket after several delays.
Limp, who took over as CEO in 2023, offered an optimistic vision for Blue Origin on Thursday, saying it will “land on the Moon, deliver a record number of incredible engines, and fly New Glenn and New Shepard on a regular cadence” this year.
“Let me add that I am extremely confident in the enormous opportunities in front of us and have never been more optimistic about our mission,” he said. “We will continue to invest, invent, and hire hundreds of positions in areas that will help us achieve our goals and best serve our customers.”
“We will be a stronger, faster, and more customer-focused company that consistently meets and exceeds our commitments,” Limp added.
