What Jeff Bezos should have learnt from Neil Armstrong

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos joined the billionaire space race today in his suitably phallic looking New Shepard rocket. Bezos successfully travelled to just beyond the Karman Line: the official boundary between the earth’s atmosphere and the rest of the universe.

So what sage words did the billionaire have for the rest of us as he looked out of the window at a sight that only 556 other humans have had the privilege to witness? A philosophical thought perhaps? A rumination on our planet’s beauty or fragility? Or maybe an assertion of mankind’s technical prowess? Alas, we were given none of this. According to the entrepreneur, as he descended on a rocket-powered air cloud, it was the ‘Best. Day. Ever.’

Now, Bezos could be forgiven for being rendered slightly speechless at the experience. There are relatively few things money can’t buy but, until this year, jetting off into space was one of them.

And yet, after seven years of preparation at Blue Origin, I can’t have been the only one who was hoping that Bezos might have furnished those of us watching on the ground with a few more insights.