Fired SpaceX Employees Sue Over Alleged Retaliation for Criticizing Elon Musk
Eight former SpaceX employees have filed a lawsuit against the company and its CEO, Elon Musk, alleging wrongful termination after they criticized the company’s work environment and Musk’s public behaviour. The lawsuit, filed in California state court, claims that Musk ordered their dismissal after they highlighted pervasive sexual harassment and a toxic “Animal House”-style culture within SpaceX.
The former employees detailed their grievances in a 2022 open letter to management, which they shared on the company intranet. The following day, four of the plaintiffs were fired, with the others being dismissed after an internal investigation, according to the lawsuit.
In January, the National Labor Relations Board filed a complaint against SpaceX based on the concerns raised by the fired employees.
The open letter called on SpaceX executives to denounce Musk’s public conduct on X (formerly Twitter) and to ensure accountability for all employees regarding inappropriate behaviour. Musk had previously made light of sexual harassment allegations against him, which he denied.
“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 stated, describing Musk’s actions as a “frequent source of distraction and embarrassment.”
The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified monetary damages. They argue that Musk’s often inappropriate tweets contributed to a hostile work environment. One of the plaintiffs, Yaman Abdulhak, noted that examples of inappropriate behavior cited in a 2021 employee training closely resembled Musk’s tweets. Abdulhak reported these tweets to the SpaceX human resources director, who allegedly took no action.
