Blue Origin, the space exploration company owned by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, is downsizing, laying off 10% of its workforce, approximately 1,000 employees, to cut costs.
The layoffs, announced by CEO Dave Limp during an all-hands meeting, follow years of rapid expansion and development within the company.
Blue Origin has grown to employ between 11,000 and 14,000 workers, with over 4,000 based in Washington state.
Limp explained that the company’s growth had led to “more bureaucracy and less focus” than necessary. The restructuring, he says, will help to reduce management ranks, streamline operations, and clear about $10 billion in launch contracts.
The layoffs come as Blue Origin is still recovering from delays and challenges in its quest to build a competitive space launch system.
Despite these setbacks, the company remains committed to its space portfolio, including space tourism, lunar exploration, and the development of a space station and rocket engines, Limp says.
The company also plans to achieve an un-crewed lunar landing in 2025 and increase the launch cadence for its New Glenn and New Shepard rockets.
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