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SpaceX employees wrote an open letter criticizing CEO Elon Musk’s behavior, calling him a “distraction and embarrassment” to the company.
As a result, at least five employees have lost their jobs.
Several people associated with Tesla raised concerns regarding Musk’s public image.
One SpaceX employee told Reuters that the letter is an acknowledgement that Musk is under pressure for unrelated reasons.
It demanded that Elon separate his personal brand from the company’s, promote more inclusivity, and define and respond uniformly to all forms of inappropriate behavior.
Before the letter was sent to company president Gwynne Shotwell, employees were asked to sign it (publicly or anonymously).
The move, however, did not go as planned. In all, five employees were terminated in connection with the letter. As reported by The New York Times , Shotwell said the employees were fired because their actions had made others feel “uncomfortable, intimidated and bullied,” and/or angry after being pressured to sign onto things that did not reflect their views.
Neither Musk nor SpaceX have directly addressed the letter or the termination of those involved.