Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, participates in a post-launch press conference in the auditorium of the Press Site of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 30, 2020, following the launch of the SpaceX Demo mission. 2 of the agency on the International Space Station.
NASA / Kim Shiflett
SpaceX has fired at least five employees who were involved in circulating a letter from the company criticizing CEO Elon Musk, according to two acquaintances with the company and an internal email from Gwynne President and Chief Operating Officer Shotwell.
Shotwell, in a company-wide email on Thursday, said the company “terminated a number of employees involved” and described it as unacceptable to “cover thousands of people across the company with emails.” unsolicited replies “, according to copies of the email obtained by CNBC. The open letter, first reported by The Verge, was distributed and signed by an unknown number of SpaceX employees earlier this week.
“We have too much critical work to do and we don’t need this kind of excessive activism,” Shotwell wrote, adding that the letter “upset many” within the company and “made employees uncomfortable.” , intimidated and harassed “.
The letter was addressed to company executives, according to media reports, and described the billionaire’s public behavior as “a frequent source of distraction and embarrassment” for SpaceX employees.
The New York Times first reported SpaceX layoffs. SpaceX did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Musk is the controlling shareholder of the privately held company, with his confidence holding about 78% of SpaceX’s voting shares last year. The CEO has created an often eccentric figure in the public sphere, especially on Twitter, where he offers comments and updates on SpaceX and its electric vehicle company, Tesla.
Musk has said he uses Twitter to express himself, comparing his use of the service to how “some people use their hair” and looking to acquire the social media company.
During a hands-on Twitter meeting on Thursday, Musk said freedom of speech is critical for users of the platform, even if a company is privately owned, such as SpaceX.
SpaceX’s internal letter also referred to recent allegations of sexual misconduct against Musk, reported by Business Insider last month. The report said Musk sexually harassed a SpaceX flight attendant during a private flight and that the company paid the employee $ 250,000 for her silence.
Shotwell defended Musk after the allegations of misconduct, writing in an email to employees at the time that he believes “the allegations are false.”
In his email Thursday, Shotwell said SpaceX’s leadership “is more dedicated to ensuring we have an excellent, constantly improving work environment than anyone I’ve seen” in his career. He also noted that SpaceX has a trio of launches scheduled “in 37 hours” this weekend, as well as work in progress to support the International Space Station.
“I’m sorry about that distraction,” Shotwell said. “Please stay focused on the SpaceX mission and use your time at work to do your best job.”