Following a report on his relationships with female employees at SpaceX, eight former employees filed a lawsuit against CEO Elon Musk, claiming they were unlawfully terminated for raising concerns about the prevalence of sexual harassment and gender discrimination. The employees behind the recent lawsuit wrote an open letter accusing Musk of failing to adhere to SpaceX's sexual harassment policies, according to a report by "futurism."
Not long after, at least five individuals involved in writing the letter were fired, with company president Gwynne Shotwell accusing them of making other employees feel "uncomfortable, intimidated, bullied, and/or angry because the letter pressured them to sign 'something that does not reflect their views.'"
This behavior has extended to Musk's other companies as well. The lawsuit represents the latest escalation, highlighting the well-documented workplace culture at the aerospace company, which has been rife with unprofessional conduct. Moreover, Musk's other ventures, most notably Tesla, faced similar accusations. In 2021, former integration engineer Ashley Kosak published an article describing the company as "filled with gender discrimination, with the only solution being for women to leave." Kosak alleged that "countless men approached her sexually, touched her without consent, and even showed up at her home," adding that after raising these incidents with HR, "nothing was done."
Additionally, a month prior to the employees' open letter, "Insider" reported that SpaceX paid a flight attendant to silence her after she accused Musk of offering her a sexual favor. Documents revealed that SpaceX paid her $250,000, which clearly angered many within the company.
The letter signed by at least 400 employees stated that "Elon's behavior in the public sphere is a recurring source of distraction and embarrassment for us, particularly in recent weeks." This news comes in the same week that a new scathing report in the "Wall Street Journal" revealed that Musk had sexual relations with an intern at SpaceX.
