On Tuesday morning, after a brief trip to space, billionaire Amazon cofounder and former CEO Jeff Bezos thanked Amazon customers and employees for making the trip possible.

The Amazon founder has faced sustained criticism for amassing the world’s largest fortune, while employees of his company claim they are subjected to harsh working conditions and low pay.

Jeff Bezos, who launched into space on July 20 with three other members of the all-civilian Blue Origin crew, thanked Amazon employees and customers for “paying” for his trip beyond Earth. The Amazon entrepreneur successfully conducted an 11-minute space flight atop a rocket manufactured by his firm, Blue Origin. Following the mission, Bezos, dressed in a blue space suit and a cowboy hat, spoke at a news conference, where some of his remarks were criticized.

Bezos said, “I want to thank every Amazon employee and every Amazon customer because you guys paid for all of this.” “Seriously, for every Amazon customer out there and every Amazon employee, thank you from the bottom of my heart very much. It’s very appreciated.”

The comments sparked anger on Twitter, with lawmakers and other critics arguing that Mr. Bezos should pay more taxes.

Despite the fact that Bezos appeared to be joking, several people on social media platforms began criticizing the American billionaire, pointing out that Amazon employees have repeatedly complained about dangerous working conditions and grueling work hours that force them to skip meals and bathroom breaks. Despite the fact that the working-class situation remains precarious, Bezos remains the world’s richest person.

On Tuesday morning, Bezos, his brother Mark, 18-year-old Oliver Daemen, and 82-year-old Wally Funk launched a New Shepard rocket created by Bezos’ space company, Blue Origin, into suborbital space.

He also thanked the town of Van Horn, Texas, where Blue Origin is based, as well as the members of the team who assisted in sending him to space.

On Twitter, US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed Bezos, writing, ‘Yes, Amazon workers did pay for this – with lower wages, union busting, a frenzied and inhumane workplace, and delivery drivers not having health insurance during a pandemic. And Amazon customers are paying for it with Amazon abusing their market power to hurt small business.’  Meanwhile, US Senator Elizabeth Warren renewed her demand for a “wealth tax,” accusing the Amazon founder of not paying taxes. Not just in the United States, but also in Canada, where Jagmeet Singh, the leader of the New Democratic Party, expressed a similar opinion.

Before returning to Earth, the team experienced three minutes of weightlessness.

A live webcast of the event recorded the capsule’s fall and the crew’s ecstatic emotions after reaching the edge of space and safely returning.

During the same news conference, Mr. Bezos announced the creation of a new “Courage and Civility Award,” via which he would award $100 million to selected individuals to be distributed to their preferred charities. The first two prizes would be given to two celebrities who did not specify how the money would be spent.

Bezos is the second billionaire in recent days to go to space, after Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson, who spent over $840 million on a similar journey earlier this month.

The crew also took a number of historic items with them, including Amelia Earhart’s goggles and a brass medal made from the first hot air balloon, which flew in 1783 – the first time humans left Earth in control of flight.