[ojnabieoot]

People are focusing on the pettiness and timing but the US government had very good reasons to do this (and other countries should follow suit):

1) The increasing commercialization of spaceflight provides many opportunities for unscrupulous grifters seeking to con scientifically illiterate millionaires, potentially at great risk to human life. Governments really should clamp down on who is and isn’t qualified to call themselves an astronaut.

2) As someone who supports companies like SpaceX being involved in space exploration: it is extremely gross for the focus to the on the personal feelings and childish fantasies of three billionaires, one of whom is notorious for blatantly abusing his employees, the other notorious for blatantly lying to his customers[1]. Branson seems by comparison to be an ok person... but he’s not an astronaut, and it’s disrespectful to real astronauts to suggest otherwise.

[1] While Bezos at least seems to acknowledge that he bought his ticket, the fact that Elon Musk still calls himself “Chief Engineer” at SpaceX is an embarrassment, and a slap in the face to all the engineers who actually show up to do work at SpaceX.

[rsstack]

https://www.ycombinator.com/future/elon/

Elon: Yes, it's a good question. I think a lot of people think I must spend a lot of time with media or on businessy things. But actually almost all my time, like 80% of it, is spent on engineering and design. Engineering and design, so it's developing next-generation product. That's 80% of it.

(2016; unreliable source: Elon Musk himself)

[ojnabieoot]

The idea that Elon Musk is spending 35 hours a week (or even 20) engineering at SpaceX is preposterous. He is blatantly lying here, or pretending a few hours of doodling each week constitutes “chief engineering” work.

[CamperBob2]

While Bezos at least seems to acknowledge that he bought his ticket, the fact that Elon Musk still calls himself “Chief Engineer” at SpaceX is an embarrassment, and a slap in the face to all the engineers who actually show up to do work at SpaceX.

Funny, those engineers don't seem to have any problem working for him under the title "Chief Engineer." Maybe we should ask some of them for their opinions, since theirs are the only ones that matter.