Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing - Space 2020: Musk vs. Bezos 

Episode Date: June 2, 2020

SpaceX, Elon Musk’s company, launched NASA astronauts into orbit over the weekend. But they face competition from Jeff Bezos’ company, Blue Origin. Christian Davenport, author of the best-selling book The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos., shares how Bezos has had cosmic ambitions his entire life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

stop wasting your nights on a mattress that doesn't get you experience the most comfortable mattress in the world the sleep number smart bed at the touch of a button you can personalize your comfort choose firmer or softer adjust cooler to warmer and right now save up to twenty five hundred dollars during our massive labor day event hurry into your local sleep number store today Because we have your number. With the Motley Fool Money Extra, I'm Chris Hill. Christian Davenport is an award-winning reporter for the Washington Post and author of the best-selling book, The Space Barons,

Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos. This past weekend, it was Elon Musk in the spotlight as his company, SpaceX, launched NASA astronauts into orbit. But as Davenport explains, the wealthiest man in the world also has his eyes on the stars, and he has for a long time. To understand Jeff Bezos in particular, you have to see him not just through the lens of Amazon, you have to see him through the lens of space. It's occupied a huge role in his life ever since he was a kid.

He remembers being five years old and watching Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the moon He was a huge Star Trek fan When he graduated from high school, the valedictory speech that he gave to his high school class was about space And actually, in many ways, he still is giving that speech about his vision for space It hasn't really changed since he was 17, 18 years old And, you know, he even in college was the president of the Student Space Club. And then when Amazon gave him the resources to be able to go out and start his space company, he did. So that's why, you know, when you look at Jeff and he sees this really as almost, I think, a way of giving back.

That this really could be his legacy if he's able to build the infrastructure that allows people to get to space affordably and reliably and builds that network to the stars. I think that would be a bigger legacy than an Internet retailing company. I'm Chris Hill. Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time.