After falling far behind the rest of industry, Blue Origin creates new stock option plan

"I accept that Blue Origin will not meet a reasonable investor's expectations for return on investment over a typical investing horizon. It's important to the peace of mind of those at Blue to know I won't be surprised or disappointed when this prediction comes true. On the other hand, I do expect that over a very long-term horizon-perhaps even decades from now-Blue will be self-sustaining and operationally profitable, and will yield returns."

"Decades later, Blue Origin is still not operationally profitable. Although the company's finances are not public, by various estimates, Bezos is still investing at least a few billion dollars annually to keep the lights on. Recently, Blue Origin has made impressive strides and seen financial returns from the sale of BE-4 engines and commercial launches."

Jeff Bezos founded Blue Origin in 2004 and wrote a welcoming letter to new employees acknowledging the company would not meet typical investor return expectations in the short term, but could become self-sustaining and profitable over decades. Nearly twenty years later, Blue Origin still operates at a loss, with Bezos investing billions annually despite the company's impressive recent achievements, including BE-4 engine sales and commercial launch contracts like AST SpaceMobile missions on the New Glenn rocket. As revenues increase, expenses rise proportionally due to facility expansion and workforce growth exceeding 11,000 employees. Blue Origin competes aggressively for top aerospace talent through compelling missions, competitive salaries, and demanding work environments, yet significantly lags the industry in one critical retention factor.

Read at Ars Technica