Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin names former Amazon executive as its new CEO

Blue Origin, the space company founded by Jeff Bezos, is set to see a change in leadership at the end of this year. Bob Smith, the current CEO, will step down from his role, and he will be succeeded by former Amazon executive Dave Limp. This transition was revealed in emails obtained by Reuters. 

Dave Limp, a former senior vice president at Amazon who oversaw the consumer devices unit, is slated to take over as Blue Origin's CEO on December 4th, as announced in an email from Bezos, the company's founder. 

Smith shared the news with employees via an email sent on Monday, stating that he and Jeff Bezos had been discussing the plan for several months. He also mentioned his commitment to stay with the company until January 2nd to ensure a smooth transition with the incoming CEO. 

Limp, a veteran of Amazon for over 13 years, had been responsible for managing notable consumer devices like Echo products. However, in August, he announced his retirement as the division he led struggled to generate revenue and had to reduce its workforce. 

Interestingly, Limp has some prior experience in the field of space. During his tenure at Amazon, he oversaw the development of the Kuiper project, which aims to create a network of internet-beaming satellites to compete with SpaceX's Starlink network. 

As the new CEO of Blue Origin, Limp will take charge of critical projects, including the long-awaited launch of the company's orbital business, which holds significant revenue potential, and the lunar lander program designed to put humans on the moon for NASA by the end of this decade. 

Bob Smith, who was previously an executive at Honeywell Aerospace, was appointed as Blue Origin's CEO in 2017 with the goal of transforming the company from a research and development-focused entity into a formidable competitor to SpaceX, led by Elon Musk. Under Smith's leadership, Blue Origin found success in its suborbital space tourism ventures. However, the company faced challenges in securing government contracts, ultimately losing out to SpaceX and other rivals in the lucrative spaceflight industry. 

Founded in 2000, Blue Origin has yet to achieve an orbital launch but is nearing the final stages of development for its New Glenn heavy-lift rocket, aimed at challenging SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Starship rocket. This move signifies Blue Origin's determination to make its mark in the space industry.