Elon Musk was sued by eight former SpaceX engineers for alleged sexual harassment and retaliation in the company.
The lawsuit claimed that Musk "purposefully created an unwelcome hostile work environment" by interjecting the workplace with sexual photographs memes, and demeaning comments on the LGBTQ+ community.
Former SpaceX Engineers File Lawsuit Against Musk
The former employees revealed that Musk's sexually explicit jokes on X have significantly contributed to the sexist culture at SpaceX. The plaintiffs also recounted first-hand experiences of harassment based on Musk's posts.
For instance, senior engineers would often refer to technical words as "chodes" and "schlongs" which are both connotated with a phallus. It was also common at SpaceX to use demanding names for products to humor others at the expense of offending women and LGBTQ+ individuals.
The suit included a video with SpaceX's executives such as the VP of Human Resources Brian Bjelde, President and CEO Gwynne Shotwell, and Musk wherein they mocked sexual misconduct and banter.
Former SpaceX Employees Report Labor Complaint Against Musk
The former employees are also seeking a National Labor Relations Board complaint against the company. An open letter revealed that Musk directly ordered the employees' termination.
After the letter was published, Shotwell sent a companywide email ordering the employees to focus on the company's mission. She also addressed that SpaceX has done an investigation against "overarching activism" in the company and that the employees were terminated.
Previous reports have shown that SpaceX has been facing complaints about its working environment. In 2021, a former employee revealed that she was groped by male colleagues. Others have also supported the claim that there is a culture of sexual harassment in the company.
As of writing, SpaceX has yet to address the recent lawsuit against them.
