The world’s richest gentleman wished to say thanks to the men and women who produced his temporary journey into room Tuesday feasible.

But for some, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ expression of gratitude went above like a direct rocket.

“I want to thank every Amazon worker, and every single Amazon client since you guys paid out for all this,” the 57-year-aged Bezos explained for the duration of a news conference Tuesday just after getting to be the 2nd billionaire in just over a week to ride in his possess spacecraft.

Bezos created Amazon into a buying and leisure behemoth but has confronted growing activism within his own workforce and stepped up tension from critics to improve working circumstances.

Labor teams and Amazon staff have claimed that the firm will not supply its hourly workers more than enough break periods, places way too a lot reliance on rigid productiveness metrics and has unsafe performing circumstances. An effort to unionize personnel at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama unsuccessful earlier this yr.

Robert Reich, previous secretary of labor under President Monthly bill Clinton and a professor of public plan at College of California, Berkeley, wrote on Twitter that Bezos has crushed unionizing makes an attempt for decades.

“Amazon employees don’t want Bezos to thank them. They require him to stop union busting — and pay back them what they have earned,” Reich wrote.

Teamsters Countrywide Director for Amazon Randy Korgan expressed related sentiments in a assertion to CBS News, indicating, “One particular portion of Bezos’s statement is incredibly exact — it is Amazon personnel who have created his fortune — but if Jeff Bezos seriously needs to thank Amazon workers, he should listen to their needs for safer doing the job problems, a voice in the place of work, and great, family members sustaining center course jobs—rather than perpetuating a very exploitative enterprise product of higher speed of operate, high fees of damage, superior prices of turnover and reduced pay.”

Bezos stepped down as Amazon CEO in July, allowing him additional time for aspect tasks including his area exploration firm Blue Origin. He has claimed he funds the rocket company by advertising $1 billion in Amazon stock just about every yr.

Right after the spaceflight, Bezos awarded $100 million donations by means of a new philanthropic initiative to both D.C. chef Jose Andres and CNN contributor Van Jones to set toward any charity or nonprofit of their selection. Jones has founded a number of nonprofit companies and Andres’ nonprofit team Entire world Central Kitchen area supplies meals to people today subsequent purely natural disasters.

Even so, Agent Earl Blumenauer, who is on the tax-composing Methods and Means Committee, proposed on Tuesday laws that would tax area vacation for non-scientific analysis functions.

“Room exploration is not a tax-free getaway for the rich,” stated Blumenauer, an Oregon Democrat. “Just as ordinary Us citizens shell out taxes when they invest in airline tickets, billionaires who fly into area to generate absolutely nothing of scientific price need to do the identical, and then some.”

Many others claimed that Bezos hasn’t paid his reasonable share of taxes. According to the nonprofit investigative journalism organization ProPublica, Bezos paid no profits tax in 2007 and 2011.

“Jeff Bezos forgot to thank all the hardworking People who truly paid out taxes to hold this country operating when he and Amazon compensated absolutely nothing,” Senator Elizabeth Warren tweeted.

Allen Adamson, co-founder of internet marketing consultancy Metaforce, suggests it can be complicated for Bezos to say the place the funds from the place excursion is coming from with out becoming offensive. He states he need to have remaining out these reviews and focused on thanking the Blue Origin workforce.

“For people who have an challenge with inequality and his payment versus the regular personnel payment, this was rocket gas,” Adamson said.