Eight former employees sued SpaceX and its CEO Elon Musk, alleging that Musk ordered them fired after they challenged what they called rampant sexual harassment, a hostile “Animal House”-style work environment at the company and Musk’s role in creating…
NEW YORK — Eight former employees sued SpaceX and its CEO Elon Musk, alleging that Musk ordered them fired after they challenged what they called rampant sexual harassment and a hostile “Animal House”-style work environment at the company.
The employees, who filed suit in a California state court, detailed their complaints in a 2022 open letter to management they shared via a company intranet. The next day, four of the plaintiffs were fired, they alleged; others were terminated later after an internal investigation.
In January, the federal National Labor Relations Board filed its own complaint against SpaceX based on issues raised by nine fired employees.
Among other workplace concerns, the open letter called on executives to condemn Musk’s public behavior on X — the platform then known as Twitter — and to hold all employees accountable for unacceptable conduct. Musk’s actions included making light of sexual harassment allegations against him — charges that the billionaire denied.
“As our CEO and most prominent spokesperson, Elon is seen as the face of SpaceX — every tweet that Elon sends is a de facto public statement by the company,” the open letter said at the time. The letter also referred to Musk’s actions as a ”frequent source of distraction and embarrassment.”
The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified monetary damages.
The complaint drew connections between Musk’s behavior — in particular, his often lewd posts on Twitter — and the working environment at SpaceX. It states that one of the plaintiffs, Yaman Abdulhak, noted that many of the inappropriate examples cited in a 2021 “appropriate behavior” employee training “closely resembled the contents of Musk’s tweets.” Abdulhak sent examples of those tweets to the SpaceX human resources director, who took no action, the complaint stated.
SpaceX did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment.
Several former employees of SpaceX have filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging that they were wrongfully terminated for being critical of CEO Elon Musk. The lawsuit, which was filed in a California court, claims that the employees were fired in retaliation for speaking out against Musk and his management style.
According to the lawsuit, the employees were terminated after raising concerns about Musk’s leadership and decision-making at the company. They claim that their criticisms were met with hostility and ultimately led to their dismissal from SpaceX.
The lawsuit also alleges that SpaceX has a culture of fear and intimidation, where employees are discouraged from speaking out against Musk or questioning his authority. The former employees claim that they were targeted for termination because they dared to challenge Musk’s leadership and management practices.
In response to the lawsuit, SpaceX has denied the allegations and stated that the terminations were based on performance issues and not retaliation for criticizing Musk. The company has also defended its workplace culture, stating that it values open communication and encourages employees to voice their opinions.
This lawsuit raises important questions about the treatment of employees at SpaceX and the role of criticism in a corporate environment. It also highlights the challenges that employees face when speaking out against powerful CEOs like Elon Musk.
It remains to be seen how this lawsuit will unfold in court and what impact it will have on SpaceX and its relationship with its employees. In the meantime, it serves as a reminder of the importance of creating a workplace culture that values open communication, transparency, and respect for all employees.
