As Blue Origin prepares for the first launch of its New Glenn rocket, founder Jeff Bezos addressed concerns about Elon Musk's influence on the incoming Trump administration. In a New York Times DealBook Summit interview, Bezos minimized concerns that Musk might leverage his relationship with the president-elect to benefit SpaceX. “I take at face value what has been said, which is that he is not going to use his political power to advantage his own companies or to disadvantage his competitors,” he stated. “I could be wrong about that, but I think it could be true.”
Bezos expressed support for the “Department of Government Efficiency,” a committee co-chaired by Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy focused on reducing federal spending and regulations. “I’ve had a lot of success in life not being cynical. I’ve very rarely been taken advantage of as a result,” he explained. “Why be cynical about that? Let’s go into it hoping that the statements that have been made are correct, that this is going to be done aboveboard and in the public interest, and if that turns out to be naïve, well, we’ll see.”
The interview followed President-elect Trump's nomination of Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator. Isaacman, who commanded SpaceX missions, previously expressed mixed views on Blue Origin. While he criticized a NASA decision favoring Blue Origin, he also praised the company's commitment and founder. Bezos wasn't questioned about Isaacman's appointment.
Bezos acknowledged SpaceX as “very able competitors,” despite the significant difference in launch numbers. He confirmed Blue Origin is nearing the first New Glenn flight, with the rocket at Cape Canaveral awaiting regulatory approval. “It’s literally on the pad now waiting for regulatory approval. It’s waiting for its final regulatory to launch, so we’re very, very close,” he said.
Bezos expressed confidence in Blue Origin's long-term prospects, citing his ability to fund it through Amazon.com shares. “Blue Origin is going to do some amazing things here.” He admitted, “It’s not a very good business yet,” but predicted, “From a business point of view, from a financial returns point of view, I think it’s going to be the best business I’ve ever been involved in, but it’s going to take a while.” He implied the company’s ultimate value would surpass that of Amazon.