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Elon Musk's SpaceX fires at least five
for letter criticizing him-sources
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[June 17, 2022]
By Joey Roulette and Eric M. Johnson
(Reuters) -At least five employees were
fired by private rocket company SpaceX after drafting and circulating an
open letter criticizing founder Elon Musk and calling on executives at
the start-up to change the company’s work culture to make it more
inclusive, according to two people familiar with the matter. |
SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk arrives to see off the Inspiration 4
crew, the first all-civilian crew to be sent into orbit, before they
head to the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space
Center in Cape Canaveral, U.S., September 15, 2021. REUTERS/Joe
Skipper/File Photo |
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SpaceX did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for
comment.
The New York Times reported earlier on Thursday that SpaceX had
fired employees associated with the letter, citing three
employees with knowledge of the situation. It had not detailed
the number of employees who had been dismissed.
SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell sent an email saying the
company had investigated and "terminated a number of employees
involved" with the letter, the New York Times said.
The newspaper said Shotwell's email said employees involved with
circulating the letter had been fired for making other staff
feel "uncomfortable, intimidated and bullied, and/or angry
because the letter pressured them to sign onto something that
did not reflect their views."
Reuters could not independently confirm that report.
The earlier open letter to SpaceX executives seen by Reuters had
called Musk a "distraction and embarrassment" to the company he
founded.
In a list of three demands, the letter said "SpaceX must swiftly
and explicitly separate itself from Elon's personal brand." It
added: "Hold all leadership equally accountable to making SpaceX
a great place to work for everyone" and "define and uniformly
respond to all forms of unacceptable behavior."
(Reporting by Joey Roulette, Eric M. Johnson, Baranjot Kaur in
Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Emelia
Sithole-Matarise)
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