Space Exploration Technologies’ launch site in southern Texas.
Photo:
Veronica G. Cardenas/Bloomberg News
Some employees of SpaceX wrote a letter raising concerns and frustration over Chief Executive
Elon Musk’s
recent public statements and behavior, describing them as a source of embarrassment and distraction.
In the letter, the employees requested that management at Space Exploration Technologies Corp., as the company is called formally, publicly address and condemn what was described as Mr. Musk’s “harmful Twitter behavior” in order to separate the company from his personal brand.
It couldn’t be determined how many employees signed the letter, which was addressed to SpaceX executives and requested a meeting with them within a month. SpaceX has around 12,000 employees, Mr. Musk said in a recent interview.
“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 said.
Mr. Musk didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the employee letter. SpaceX also didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. The Verge reported on the letter earlier.
The letter also said there is a gap between SpaceX’s stated values and its current systems and company culture. As an example, the letter pointed to what it said was unequal enforcement of SpaceX internal policies on employee conduct.
The note from employees also referred to recent allegations against Mr. Musk and his “public disparagement of the situation.”
The letter follows a published report last month about a sexual-misconduct allegation against Mr. Musk and a payment SpaceX was said to have made in 2018 related to the alleged incident. Mr. Musk has called the allegation “utterly untrue” on Twitter, and SpaceX President
Gwynne Shotwell
said in an email to staff that she personally believed the claims were false.
SpaceX has emerged as the leading rocket-launch company, handling human space flights for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and private customers, while regularly putting its own satellites into orbit. The company, which recently raised almost $1.7 billion, listed almost 900 open positions on its website as of Thursday morning.
Mr. Musk, who separately serves as the chief executive of
Tesla Inc.,
is also pursuing a takeover of Twitter Inc., and addressed employees at the social-media company Thursday.
Write to Micah Maidenberg at [email protected]
Copyright ©2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Appeared in the June 17, 2022, print edition as ‘Some SpaceX Employees Criticize Musk’s Behavior in Letter.’
For all the latest Technology News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
