Spread the word: Government plays a key role in American innovation

Bezos explains how he grew up believing that government was a hub of innovation. He had a close relationship with his grandfather, Lawrence “Pop” Gise, a career public servant, who worked on space technology and missile defense systems. Bezos also said the Apollo program was inspirational, helping to fuel his desire and passion to make a difference in space exploration.

Hearing the stories of the Sammies 2018 winners, Bezos was inspired by how they were driven by mission. Innovation, he explains, requires that spark of passion rather than a profit motive. “The people I saw up on stage tonight are all missionaries. You can have a job, a career, or a calling, and you want the calling.”

Bezos and Lewis discuss how to get young people to reengage with government service. He worries that it takes too long for agencies to make decisions, causing younger employees to choose smaller start-up companies where decisions are made more quickly.  

 “If the leadership focuses on increasing the decision-making velocity of the organization, everybody will be happier and you’ll get younger people.”

Bezos discusses how his vision for Blue Origin, his aerospace manufacturer and spaceflight services company, is like the mission of government agencies: He wants to establish the infrastructure for space exploration that future entrepreneurs can use to further their own business ventures. Blue Origin is among the six companies NASA has selected for developing 10 “tipping point” technologies that have the potential to significantly benefit the commercial space economy and future NASA missions, including lunar landing vehicle and deep space rocket engine technologies.