Amazon payments to Bezos’ Blue Origin reach $1.8B as shareholders cite conflicts of interest

Amazon paid about $1.8 billion last year to Blue Origin, the space company owned by its founder and board chair Jeff Bezos — nearly triple the amount the year before — as the tech giant prepared to ramp up deployment of its own low-Earth orbit satellite constellation. 

The increase comes as shareholders weigh a proposal calling for a mandatory independent board chair, citing Bezos’ business interests outside Amazon as potential conflicts of interest. 

Bezos stepped down as Amazon’s CEO in 2021 but remains executive chairman.

According to the filing, the company paid approximately $2.2 billion total under satellite launch agreements during the past fiscal year, with an estimated $1.8 billion going to Blue Origin. The prior year’s proxy showed Blue Origin receiving about $578 million out of $1.7 billion total. 

Amazon is building a constellation of 3,236 low-Earth orbit satellites under the Amazon Leo program, formerly known as Project Kuiper, to beam broadband internet to consumers and businesses. The company has deployed 243 satellites so far and has asked the FCC for a two-year extension on a July deadline to launch roughly half of the fleet. 

The company this week also announced a $10.8 billion deal this week to acquire Globalstar, a satellite operator that has used SpaceX as its primary launch provider. 

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket made its debut flight in January 2025 but has not yet reached the launch cadence needed for the rollout. In addition to Blue Origin, Amazon has launch agreements in place with United Launch Alliance and Arianespace, and has also tapped Blue Origin rival SpaceX’s Falcon 9 for some launches, as Reuters reported this week. 

Bezos is also co-founder and co-CEO of AI startup Project Prometheus, a venture focused on applying AI to manufacturing and engineering across a variety of commercial sectors. 

The shareholder proposal calling for a mandatory independent chair, submitted by the AFL-CIO Reserve Fund, points to Bezos’ expanding role outside Amazon as cause for concern. 

“As a technology company, Project Prometheus could be a potential competitor or a business partner with our Company, raising potential conflicts of interest,” the proposal states, also citing Amazon’s multibillion-dollar launch agreements with Blue Origin as a potential conflict.

It notes that Amazon also has done business with the Bezos-owned Washington Post.

Amazon’s board recommends voting against the proposal, arguing that its lead independent director structure provides sufficient oversight. The role is currently held by Jamie Gorelick, a former U.S. Deputy Attorney General. The company’s annual meeting is set for May 20. 

The Blue Origin contracts have drawn scrutiny before. A shareholder lawsuit filed in 2023 alleged Amazon’s board spent less than 40 minutes approving the launch agreements without considering SpaceX as an alternative. Delaware’s Court of Chancery dismissed the case, and the state Supreme Court affirmed that ruling in November 2025.