Amazonians deep discount Bezos’ ride

Being honest can sometimes lash back as backlash. This is something that India’s politicians, fortunately (for them), don’t get to reckon with much. But poor, rich Jeff Bezos did face it this week after his ‘I am not a Virgin space traveller (but an Amazon one)’ suborbital journey. Quite innocently, Bezos thanked ‘every Amazon employee and every Amazon customer because you guys paid for all of this’. This was the equivalent of a government thanking voters for using public money for its re-election campaign. The reaction from many Amazon employees was on trajectory, considering many of them had to ‘sponsor’ the journey of the passengers of New Shepard — the craft that sent the Bezos bozos on their joyride — with lower wages, longer work hours and dangerous workplaces, especially after the Covid outbreak.

Conspicuous consumption — no matter how important it is for human exploratory progress and science — can be upsetting, more so during trying times. But Bezos’ comment about his central extraterrestrial vistas project being possible only ‘at the expense’ of his employees is a Dickensian gaffe. It would seem that it’s the Amazon CEO’s turn to make a sacrifice. Perhaps cancelling his ticket on the first manned mission to Mars will be penance worth the sin. Along with deep discounts to all Amazon workers for future space flights.