Fired SpaceX engineers sue Elon Musk. A group of 8 former fired SpaceX employees recently filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk and SpaceX. Alleging a toxic work environment, sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination.
The lawsuit claims that Musk fostered a sexist “Dark Ages” culture at the company, where female employees faced harassment and discrimination.
The lawsuit specifically cites Musk’s behavior on Twitter, now rebranded as X, as contributing to the hostile work environment. The plaintiffs argue that his tweets and public statements created a culture where employees felt pressured to tolerate inappropriate behavior.
The lawsuit is still ongoing, and its outcome to be seen. However, it has already sparked significant media attention. And raised questions about workplace culture in the tech industry.
Elon Musk and SpaceX Reaction towards the lawsuit
Elon Musk and SpaceX have not directly addressed the lawsuit filed by former employees in public statements.
However, Gwynne Shotwell, the president and COO of SpaceX, defended Musk in an internal email to employees, stating that the allegations are “untruths” and “mischaracterizations”. She emphasized her amazement at the work SpaceX employees achieve and referred to Musk as “one of the best humans I know.”
Additionally, SpaceX’s legal team has formally responded to the lawsuit, denying the allegations and calling them “misleading” and “revisionist history”.
While Musk himself has not commented on the lawsuit, his past behavior and statements on social media have been cited by the plaintiffs as contributing to a hostile work environment. His silence on the matter could be interpreted as a strategic decision to avoid further fueling the controversy.