SpaceX, a private rocket company, fired employees on Thursday who helped write and distribute an open letter criticizing the behavior of its CEO Elon Musk, said three employees were aware of the situation.
Some SpaceX employees began distributing a letter condemning Mr Musk’s activities on Twitter on Wednesday. The letter called the billionaire’s public behavior and tweets “a frequent source of distraction and embarrassment” and asked the company to control him. Mr Musk is currently making a $ 44 billion deal to buy Twitter.
By Thursday afternoon, SpaceX had fired some of the organizers of the letter, according to the three employees, and an email from Gwyn Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of SpaceX. In an email to The New York Times, she said the company was investigating and “firing a number of employees involved” in the letter.
“The letters, requests and the general process made the employees feel uncomfortable, scared and harassed and / or angry because the letter forced them to sign something that did not reflect their views,” Ms Shotwell wrote. “We have too much critical work to do and there is no need for this kind of excessive activism.”
It is unclear how many employees were fired. James Gleeson, a spokesman for SpaceX, did not immediately request a comment.
The open letter followed recently published allegations of sexual violence against Mr Musk amid his controversial Twitter acquisition. On Thursday, he approached Twitter staff for the first time since his offer to take over by video call to answer their questions.
In May, Insider reported that the flight attendant said Mr Musk had offered her a sexual massage on a flight to London in 2016. The flight attendant said he had also exposed herself to her and offered her a horse, according to the article. details of which were not confirmed by The Times.
Mr Musk called the allegations “completely untrue” and joked about his horses and genitals on Twitter. Ms. Shotwell said in an email to SpaceX staff last month that she “personally” believes the allegations of sexual harassment against Mr. Musk are false.
At SpaceX, Mr. Musk is rarely challenged by his own workers, said three employees, who spoke on condition of anonymity. This month, he emailed the company’s employees that they must spend at least 40 hours in the office or face dismissal.
The open letter called on SpaceX leaders to “speak out publicly and condemn Elon’s harmful behavior on Twitter” and “define and respond equally to all forms of unacceptable behavior.”
In an email to staff, Ms. Shotwell wrote: “Covering thousands of people across the company with recurring spam and asking them to sign letters and fill out unsponsored surveys during the workday is not acceptable.”
“Please stay focused on SpaceX’s mission and use your time to do your best,” she continued. “That’s how we get to Mars.”
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