Progress or publicity? Jeff Bezos' all-female Blue Origin flight mocked as ‘cringe PR stunt’

Despite the emotional remarks, the mission was heavily criticised online, with many users calling it an unnecessary PR move.

By  Storyboard18Apr 15, 2025 7:41 PM
Progress or publicity? Jeff Bezos' all-female Blue Origin flight mocked as ‘cringe PR stunt’
Despite the emotional remarks, the mission was heavily criticised online, with many users calling it an unnecessary PR move.

Blue Origin, the space company founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, completed a short space flight with an all-female crew that included his fiancée Lauren Sanchez and pop star Katy Perry. The flight lasted around 11 minutes and went over 60 miles above Earth, crossing the Kármán line, which marks the official boundary of space.

After landing back on Earth, Perry was seen raising her hand to the sky and kissing the ground, saying, “I feel super-connected to love. I think this experience has shown me how much love is inside of me."

Sanchez described the journey as “profound”, adding, “You see Earth, and then there’s total darkness… but we saw the moon and then looked back at Earth, and it looked like a jewel.”

Despite the emotional remarks, the mission was heavily criticised online, with many users calling it an unnecessary PR move. One X (formerly Twitter) user compared it to a “forced girl power moment”, referencing the much-debated scene in Avengers: Endgame, saying:

“A billionaire sending his wife into space with some rich female celebrities just to make space seem safe is dumb."

Others were more blunt in their criticism.

“Jeff Bezos is such a dork, and this entire thing is so cringe,” one person wrote. “If Bezos can send Katy Perry into space, he can pay a wealth tax so every American has debt-free healthcare,” added another.

Another user pointed out the irony of the situation, “He couldn’t even pay Amazon workers fairly, but he can send six rich women into space like it’s nothing.”

Blue Origin has not issued any official response to the criticism.

First Published on Apr 15, 2025 5:35 PM

More from Storyboard18

Advertising

Navi Mumbai airport sells 70% of ad space before opening; Jewar follows close behind

Navi Mumbai airport sells 70% of ad space before opening; Jewar follows close behind

Digital

YouTube turns 20: 20 billion videos, 20 million daily uploads and a reinvention

YouTube turns 20: 20 billion videos, 20 million daily uploads and a reinvention

Digital

Apple to shift assembly of all US-sold iPhones to India by 2025

Apple to shift assembly of all US-sold iPhones to India by 2025

Advertising

UP govt plans to replace traditional hoardings with digital displays

UP govt plans to replace traditional hoardings with digital displays

Digital

Perplexity AI joins forces with Motorola to bring answer engine to smartphones

Perplexity AI joins forces with Motorola to bring answer engine to smartphones

Brand Makers

Rob Lake and the return of live spectacle in a digital world: The master of illusion in India

Rob Lake and the return of live spectacle in a digital world: The master of illusion in India

Brand Marketing

Zerodha’s Nithin Kamath raises alarm over apps misusing user data without consent

Zerodha’s Nithin Kamath raises alarm over apps misusing user data without consent

Digital

Alphabet Q1 2025: Google's ad revenue growth slows, hits $66.89 billion in the quarter

Alphabet Q1 2025: Google's ad revenue growth slows, hits $66.89 billion in the quarter