5 SpaceX employees fired for criticizing Elon Musk
Two people familiar with the matter said that private rocket company SpaceX has fired at least five employees after it was discovered that they had written and distributed a letter criticizing founder Elon Musk urging executives to make the company's culture more inclusive.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The New York Times reported Thursday, citing three employees familiar with the matter, that SpaceX has fired employees in connection with the letter.
The newspaper did not give details about the number of employees who were laid off.
The newspaper said that Gwen Shotwell, president of SpaceX, sent an e-mail saying that the company had conducted an investigation and "terminated a number of employees implicated" in the matter of the letter.
The newspaper added that Shotwell's email said the employees involved in spreading the letter were fired because they made other employees feel "uncomfortable, intimidated, bullied and/or angry because the message pressures them to sign something that does not reflect their views".
Billionaire Musk is pressing ahead with a $44 billion bid to buy Twitter and has made clear his support for easing restrictions on freedom of expression on the site.
He told Twitter employees on Thursday that the platform should allow "very bold things" as long as the content was not against the law.
The SpaceX letter, titled "An Open Letter to SpaceX Executives" and seen by Reuters, called Musk a "distraction and embarrassment" for the company he founded.
Listing a list of three demands, the letter said, "SpaceX must quickly and clearly separate itself from Elon's character" and "that all leadership take equal responsibility for making SpaceX a great place to work for all" and "identify all forms of unethical behavior." acceptable and deal with it in a unified manner.
Musk, who is also president of electric car maker Tesla, has made headlines and space in late-night comedy shows in recent months for several reasons, including his pursuit of Twitter, his criticism of Democrats and allegations of sexual harassment, which Musk denied in a Twitter post. .
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