Technologies

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin accused of ‘toxic’ workplace, safety concerns in open essay

A group of current and former employees speak out about the space tourism company.

Blue Origin, the space tourism company founded by ex-Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, is facing accusations of fostering a discriminatory, «toxic» workplace and putting speed and cost reduction over safety. On Thursday, a group of 21 current and former Blue Origin employees published an open essay detailing allegations of sexism, harassment and safety concerns at the company.

Blue Origin, which has more than 3,000 employees, is «rife with sexism» and some senior leaders are «known to be consistently inappropriate with women,» the group alleges in the essay, saying that at least one senior leader appeared to be protected by having a close relationship with Bezos.

The essay also says professional dissent at Blue Origin was «actively stifled,» which was dehumanizing for employees and also led to safety concerns.

The essay comes as three US space exploration companies vie for government contracts and for milestones with their rockets. Blue Origin has sued NASA for denying the company a contract to build a new moon landing vehicle. The contract went to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, in April. Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson rode in one of his company’s rockets to the edge of space in July, just days before Bezos joined the first manned flight of Blue Origin’s New Shepard vehicle on a similar flight.

In an interview with CBS Mornings, former Blue Origin head of employee communications Alexandra Abrams, who was part of the group that wrote the open essay, said there was increasing pressure and «impatience» to stay ahead of rival space companies led by Musk and Branson. Abrams said she believes competition took precedence over safety.

Abrams said she wouldn’t trust a trust a Blue Origin vehicle, noting that, «You cannot create a culture of safety and a culture of fear at the same time. They are incompatible.»

A Blue Origin spokesperson said the company has no tolerance for discrimination or harassment of any kind. «We provide numerous avenues for employees, including a 24/7 anonymous hotline, and will promptly investigate any new claims of misconduct,» the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

The spokesperson also said the company stands behind its safety record and believes that «New Shepard is the safest space vehicle ever designed or built.»

Blue Origin’s next crewed launch is scheduled for Oct. 12. Onboard will be former NASA engineer Chris Boshuizen and entrepreneur Glen de Vries. Two other amateur astronauts will also be on board but haven’t yet been announced.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, April 25

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for April 25.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword is a pretty easy one. 9-Across — the «dog-tor» clue — was a bit of a groaner, but I’ll take an easy answer over a witty, confusing clue any day. 4-Down was a little confusing, but once I filled in the other letters it made sense. (TEXAS and IOWA could’ve fit in 5-Across and 8-Across, with one T replaced in each answer.) Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: «Beware the ___ of March»
Answer: IDES

5A clue: Sends a message
Answer: TEXTS

7A clue: Pond scum
Answer: ALGAE

8A clue: Teeny-tiny bit
Answer: IOTA

9A clue: Doctor who might more aptly be called a «dogtor»
Answer: VET

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: «Don’t call ___ comeback!»
Answer: ITA

2D clue: Supermarket section
Answer: DELI

3D clue: Arnold Schwarzenegger or Chris Christie, e.g., for short
Answer: EXGOV

4D clue: 5-Across or 8-Across, if you change the T’s in this answer
Answer: STATE

6D clue: Musical chairs need
Answer: SEAT

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

Technologies

Razer Releases a Vertical Edition Ergonomic Mouse

Two new mice for productivity still look like they were made for gamers, and that’s okay.

Razer has unveiled the Pro Click V2 and the Pro Click V2 Vertical Edition — two PC mice with ergonomics in mind, complete with expected Razer Chroma RGB LEDs in tow. The latter mouse, revealed Thursday, is Razer’s first vertical mouse and is priced to go head to head with the likes of Logitech’s vertical mouse offerings like the Lift and MX Vertical.

As with almost any new tech product in 2025, the new Pro Click V2 mice will also ship with artificial intelligence features in the form of Razer’s AI Prompt Master, a productivity feature that will give you easier access to services like Microsoft Copilot.

Both mice are available starting Thursday for $100 for the V2, and $120 for the V2 vertical mouse.

Razer is going for a «do it all» mouse with the Pro Click V2

The Pro Click V2 and Pro Click V2 Vertical editions are shaped to fit your hand’s natural resting positions, making it more comfortable and easier to use for long periods of time. The Pro Click V2 is designed at a 30-degree angle and the Pro Click V2 Vertical is tilted at 71.7 degrees, which Razer says is the natural angle of a handshake.

Of course, these are «productivity meets gaming» mice, so you can also expect a host of Razer features that you’d find on its gaming mice offerings. That said, the updated mice do feel more gaming forward than their predecessors. Both include the Razer Focus Pro 30K Optical Sensors for ultra precision and the mice should be able to track easily on glass. The mechanical buttons are said to be up to 6x more durable than the industry average and should be able to take 60 million clicks in their lifecycles.

Both mice received the RGB treatment, with multi-zone lighting that can be customized further with Razer’s Synapse software. There you can also adjust DPI setting defaults and more.

Lastly, both mice should last a long time on a single charge: the Pro Click V2 offers up 3.5 months of battery life while the Vertical Edition can reach up to six months before needing to be charged again. Both mice can be charged via USB-C, and a 5-minute charge can give you 2 to 3 days of battery power when you’re in a pinch.

For more, don’t miss how tariffs are boosting the secondhand tech product market.