SpaceX and Elon Musk face new lawsuit over unfair dismissals

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SpaceX and CEO Elon Musk faced another lawsuit on Wednesday from eight former employees who claimed Musk personally ordered their firing after they raised concerns about sexual harassment and discrimination against women at the company.

SpaceX fired the employees in 2022 after they wrote and circulated a letter denouncing the CEO’s behavior following allegations of sexual misconduct against him. The letter called on company leadership to address and enforce its workplace harassment policies. “Elon’s behavior in public is frequently a source of distraction and embarrassment for us, especially in recent weeks,” the letter said. “As our CEO and most prominent spokesperson, Elon is viewed as the face of SpaceX – every tweet Elon sends is a de facto public statement from the company.”

In January, the National Labor Relations Board alleged that SpaceX had illegally fired the workers. The company responded with its own lawsuit against the NLRB.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday and shared by Axios, says Musk “runs his company in the Dark Ages – treating women like sex objects judged by their bra size, bombarding the workplace with offensive sexual rhetoric, and offering those who resist the ‘Animal House’ environment the option to seek other employment if they don’t like it.”

SpaceX did not immediately respond to Rolling StonePlease leave a comment.

The suit arrives a day later The Wall Street Journal published a story detailing allegations that Musk solicited female employees at SpaceX for sex and to have sex with his children. Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s president and chief operating officer, said WSJ that his reporting painted “a completely misleading picture” and said: “Elon is one of the best people I know.”

The new lawsuit, filed Wednesday, accuses SpaceX and Musk of violating federal and state labor laws, and accuses Musk of “knowingly and intentionally creating an unwelcome hostile work environment” and retaliating against workers for “speaking up against the discrimination, harassment and hostile work environment they observed and were subjected to.”

The former employees are demanding damages and compensation for lost wages, lost income and emotional stress.