Petitions for Amazon founder, and one of the richest people in the world, Jeff Bezos, to stay in space have exceeded 100,000 signatures.
The spoof petitions come as Bezos plans to fly into space with his brother on his own rocket in the near future. The rocket is constructed and run by his own space exploration firm 'Blue Origin'.
The petition is titled 'Do not allow Jeff Bezos to return to Earth', and was started by a man by the name Jose Ortiz. This petition has currently over 105,000 signatures, while a similar petition called 'Petition To Not Allow Jeff Bezos Re-Entry To Earth' has more than 20,000 signatures.
Those that have signed the petition have left comments such as:
"Billionaires should not exist...on earth, or in space, but should they decide the latter they should stay there."
And one calling Bezos:
"An evil overlord hellbent on global domination."
Both petitions are on Change.org
Bezos plans to take the flight soon in which he and his brother and other passengers will travel on the rocket to the Karaman Line (which is the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and space), around 100 kms from Earth's surface. At this point, the rocket will separate from the booster and return to Earth.
Bezos has been criticised by many people over his career as Amazon founder for a number of reasons, namely due to having such vast wealth while others are suffering and in need, and because he has been accused of implementing poor labour practices within Amazon workplaces.
Speaking of his flight, Bezos said:
"I want to go on this flight because it's a thing I wanted to do all my life. It's an adventure — it's a big deal for me."
Adding:
"Ever since I was five years old, I've dreamed of traveling to space. On July 20th, I will take that journey with my brother. The greatest adventure, with my best friend."
A post shared by Jeff Bezos (@jeffbezos)
[h/t: Business Insider]
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