Musk Ordered SpaceX HR To “Fire” 8 Employees Alleging Sexual Abuse

It comes after the Wall Street Journal revealed on Tuesday that Elon Musk made unwelcomed sexual advances towards women at SpaceX, including a former intern. 

They claim that this behaviour resulted in other coworkers making harassing comments that imitated Musk's tweets, creating a very uncomfortable and hostile work environment. 

Gwynne Shotwell, the President of SpaceX, criticized the Wall Street Journal for presenting "untruths, mischaracterizations, and revisionist history," and expressed her support for Musk.

"We need to do everything we can to keep moving our claims forward," said Tom Moline, an ex-employee of SpaceX's Dragon program.

"Even Elon, with all his wealth and power, can be held accountable, right?": Moline added.

SpaceX and Elon Musk did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit. 

The Context:

SpaceX said the fired employees broke company rules and denied any wrongdoing. A report alleges that former engineers claim Elon Musk fired them in retaliation for criticizing his behaviour. The complaint alleges Musk replied, "I don’t care — fire them," when advised to conduct a formal investigation before taking action.

Elon Musk publicly mocked misconduct allegations against him, and workers collaborated on an open letter in 2022 raising concerns about his behaviour and the company's culture. 

They allege they were fired in retaliation. 

According to the complaint, SpaceX executives, including Musk, participated in a video that mocks sexual misconduct.