Employees at SpaceX have written an internal letter to SpaceX executives, expressing worry about CEO Elon Musk's behavior and seeking for changes to the company's culture, according to a report by The Verge on June 16.
What Does the Letter Say
An open letter to company executives, which was posted in an internal SpaceX Microsoft Teams channel with more than 2,600 employees, asks the founder of SpaceX and Tesla to change his ways, as reported by Space.com.
"Elon's behavior in the public sphere is a frequent source of distraction and embarrassment for us, particularly in recent weeks," reads the letter. "It is critical to make clear to our teams and to our potential talent pool that his messaging does not reflect our work, our mission, or our values."
CNET, meanwhile, said that employees want the company to hold leadership accountable for creating an inclusive environment and for clearly defining and enforcing workplace culture standards. They particularly requested that leadership condemn the CEO's behavior on Twitter.
Although the document states that employees of many genders, ethnicities, seniorities, and technical roles participated on the letter's creation, it is unclear who wrote it.
What Is Musk's 'Behavior' in Twitter
The billionaire, who has over 98 million followers, is a frequent user of the platform, occasionally making nasty jokes or insulting others.
Every tweet from Musk is apparently considered as a "de facto public statement by the company," according to the letter from SpaceX employees.
"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 letter adds. "It is critical to make clear to our teams and to our potential talent pool that his messaging does not reflect our work, our mission or our values."
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Action Terms That Should Be Done
As per Space.com raport, the document proposes three possible "action items" to address the problem, which are as follows: (1) SpaceX leadership to denounce "Elon's harmful Twitter behavior," (2) condemning other senior company leaders for similar conduct, and (3) defining "what exactly is intended by SpaceX's 'no-asshole' and 'zero tolerance' policies and enforce them consistently."
Sexual Harassment Claims Against Musk
The letter comes about a month after news broke that the company had paid a $250,000 settlement to a flight attendant who claimed Musk had sexually harassed her. On Twitter, Musk refuted the charges, calling them completely false, as per a report by CNET.
The publication also noted that in an email to staff, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell also backed Musk, saying she'd worked "closely with him for 20 years and never seen nor heard anything resembling these allegations."
Tesla, according to the CNET report, has also been sued for sexual harassment at one of its plants, and the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing sued the company in February for claimed racial discrimination and harassment.
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