Bezos Will Blast Himself Into Space

Now we know why Jeff Bezos picked July 5 as the date to give up the Amazon CEO job—two weeks later he’ll be flying into space on Blue Origin’s first flight with human passengers. Can you imagine the nerves of investors if he decided to strap himself into that rocket ship while still holding the CEO reins? 

A flight of any kind has an element of risk—and the risks are plain with this one. Blue Origin hasn’t yet sent any humans into space, having relied on mannequins so far. Sure, judging by this video on Blue Origin’s web site, the company wants the world to know it hasn’t cut any corners to keep people safe. But if Elon Musk has chosen to keep his feet on the ground, even though his SpaceX has sent lots of humans into space so far, you have to wonder. Is Musk worried about getting airsick or does he understand the risk more acutely than Bezos?