--- title: "SpaceX Manager Arrested for Allegedly Stabbing a Tesla Contractor Over Karaoke Performance" description: "A SpaceX manager was arrested and charged with felony assault after allegedly stabbing a Tesla contractor with a pocket knife." date: "2026-09-17" modified: "2026-09-17" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins.md" url: "https://futurism.com/advanced-transport/spacex-manager-tesla-arrested-stabbing-pool-karaoke" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "Tesla" --- # SpaceX Manager Arrested for Allegedly Stabbing a Tesla Contractor Over Karaoke Performance ![A color-treated photo of a man holding a knife.]() *Shutterstock / Futurism* It's always a good idea to carefully consider the company you keep — especially if you happen to work for one of Elon Musk's massive companies. According to [local channel *FOX7*](), SpaceX manager Kyle Gonzalez has been arrested over the alleged stabbing of a Tesla contractor during a team-building exercise gone horribly wrong. During the night out with a group of co-workers and friends, Gonzalez reportedly got into a heated argument with the Tesla worker over a game of pool at the Waterhole Saloon, a roadside honky-tonk just outside of Austin, Texas. Court documents viewed [by the *Austin American-Statesman*]() claim that the SpaceX manager became irate after one of the women he had entered the bar with went to compliment the Tesla contractor's performance on a karaoke song. When the Tesla worker asked the woman to join him for a game of pool, Gonzalez allegedly became angry, saying he was "going to kill" the contractor. That's when Gonzalez allegedly pulled out his pocket knife and stabbed the man in the neck, leaving him with a one-inch puncture wound, the *Statesmen* recounts. The unnamed contractor was then rushed to the hospital for life-saving surgery, and is expected to pull through. Gonzales was reportedly found hiding out in a nearby parking lot, still holding the bloody knife. Court documents note that the SpaceX manager said he hid "for his safety," though he later apologized for the attack three separate times. He was charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon, with a bond set at $25,000. **More on SpaceX:** *[SpaceX Vows to Keep Poisoning Nearby Towns With Its Fume-Belching Data Center For Another Year]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()