Abstract:
Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have never had a good relationship, but the Tesla and SpaceX chief executive recently publicly praised the Amazon founder, who has invested nearly $30 billion of his personal fortune to build his aerospace company.
"Awesome!" Musk responded to a video clip on the
Musk added: "It's great to see Jeff Bezos care so much about space."
Bezos will step down as CEO of Amazon in 2021, but still serves as the executive chairman of the e-commerce giant. He said in the interview that Blue Origin has just completed its first round of external financing, raising more than US$10 billion.
Bezos also said that now is the right time to stop his personal financial support of the company. "I now have a clearer view of Blue Origin's financial prospects; I don't really want to bring in outside investors until I'm convinced that this is a good investment for them," he said.
Bezos added that he expected Blue Origin to "become a public company at some point," but that its IPO would be "a few years away."
Musk and Bezos have historically clashed over launch pads, government contracts, patents, talent, imitation and other issues. Musk once labeled Bezos' company "Sue Origin".
But the two super-rich men occasionally express admiration for each other. Musk has said he pokes fun at Bezos because he wants to inspire him to work harder at Blue Origin, so it's likely he was sincere when he praised Bezos for pouring $28 billion into the company, as it's a clear sign of dedication.
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