While Elon Musk’s brutal management methods are denounced by Twitter employees, SpaceX employees have been fired for publishing a letter pointing the finger at these same practices.
“Choosing between professional concerns or going to Mars”. This is what a SpaceX employee was offered by his manager, after having shared with his colleagues an internal letter denouncing the managerial practices of the company. This same letter led to the dismissal of eight employees, according to the New York Times.
This week, Elon Musk told Twitter employees they had to prepare to work hard or leave the company. Brutal management practices are also denounced by SpaceX employees. Charges filed with federal regulators accuse the company of having illegally dismissed eight employees following the publication of an open letter criticizing the managerial practices of Elon Musk.
“Elon’s behavior in the public sphere is a frequent source of embarrassment for us,” the letter said. The charges highlight Elon Musk’s firm grip on the workplace, perhaps even beyond the restraints of federal law.
Internal data showed more than 1,000 people viewed the letter within hours, more than 400 people signed it, many of them anonymously, the report said. New York Times. “SpaceX is Elon and Elon is SpaceX,” Jon Edwards, vice president of SpaceX, reportedly said during a meeting between the authors of the letter and executives from the company, which has 11,000 employees.
Legal experts explain to the American media that the law gives employees the right to meet for “help or protection”, which includes actions like writing this letter. The law also urges SpaceX to enforce its anti-harassment policies more effectively.
According to employees interviewed by the New York Times, SpaceX maintains a work environment “that appears to tolerate sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination.” In December, a former employee published an essay describing several instances of harassment and complaining about the lack of follow-up after a case was reported. After the book came out, other employees started reporting new cases.
In May, the media Insider reported that SpaceX paid a company flight attendant $250,000 in 2018 after she accused Elon Musk of offering her sex.