Elon Musk and SpaceX sued for alleged sexual harassment by former employees

Hamza Fahmy and Russell Falcon

3 hours ago

(KRON) – On Wednesday, eight former SpaceX employees filed a lawsuit against the rocket manufacturer and its owner Elon Musk. The lawsuit accuses Musk of creating a “thoroughly sexist culture” and an “Animal House” environment in which women are allegedly judged by their bra size and constantly embarrassed by sexual innuendo.

Before this lawsuit was filed, the eight SpaceX employees had previously sent an open letter to SpaceX management denouncing the “illegal, hostile work environment.” The lawsuit alleges that “Musk personally ordered the plaintiff’s terminations” after the letter was filed, Anne B. Shaver, an attorney for the plaintiffs, told KRON4.

“Elon Musk touts SpaceX as a pioneer in a brave new world of space travel, but his company is running it in the dark ages,” Shaver said.

The lawsuit alleges that “Musk knowingly and intentionally created an unwelcoming, hostile work environment by introducing into the workplace vile sexual photos, memes, and comments that degraded women and/or the LGBTQ+ community.”

The lawsuit relates to several comments made by Musk, mostly on his social media platform X. Among them is a post in which he told former YouTube CEO Chad Hurley, “If you touch my wiener, you can have a horse.”

Although the postings were made on his personal account, the plaintiffs believed Musk “intentionally” directed users to stay up to date on his X account in parallel when following SpaceX news and updates. According to the lawsuit, Musk’s account is also mentioned in SpaceX’s company handbook as a source of approved company news that employees could share publicly.

“Not surprisingly,” the lawsuit states, “employees and the public perceived Musk’s Twitter feed as a reflection of SpaceX’s corporate culture itself.”

The plaintiffs believe that these actions “had foreseeable and actual consequences, namely, that they insulted, caused suffering and harm to the plaintiffs, thereby disturbing their emotional peace in the workplace,” the lawsuit states.

Wednesday’s lawsuit accuses SpaceX and Musk of retaliation and wrongful termination in violation of California law. The company is also accused of sexual harassment and gender discrimination.

The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, as well as an injunction against SpaceX to enjoin the continuation of its allegedly unlawful conduct.

Paige Holland-Thielen, one of the plaintiffs, said in a statement released by her lawyers that the lawsuit was an “important milestone in our pursuit of justice.”

“We hope this lawsuit encourages our colleagues to stay strong and continue to fight for a better workplace,” she said.

Nexstar has reached out to SpaceX for comment but has not yet received a response.

This isn’t the first time SpaceX and Musk have faced harassment allegations. Back in 2021, former employee Ashley Kosak published an essay titled “At SpaceX, we’re told we can change the world. Yet I couldn’t stop being sexually harassed.” Kosak’s allegations include that male colleagues groped her body and made other unwanted sexual advances. Five former SpaceX employees echoed Kosak’s experiences with their own, with The Verge reporting that the former employees said HR didn’t take their complaints seriously.

In a statement, Laurie Burgess, a lawyer who also represents the plaintiffs, said: “Musk believes he is above the law. Our eight courageous clients stood up to him and were fired for it. We look forward to holding Musk accountable for his actions in court.”