--- title: "After Sexual Allegations, Elon Musk Jets Off to Brazil" description: "Elon Musk was accuased of sexual misconduct and paid $250,000 in hush money after asking flight attendant for sex in exchange for a horse." date: "2022-05-20" modified: "2022-05-20" authors: - name: "Lonnie Lee Hood" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/ahood" url: "https://futurism.com/sexual-allegations-elon-musk-brazil" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "jet" - "tesla" --- # After Sexual Allegations, Elon Musk Jets Off to Brazil ![Elon Musk was accuased of sexual assault and paid $250,000 in hush money after asking flight attendant for sex in exchange for a horse.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* What do you do when somebody credibly accuses you of sexual misconduct? For SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the answer seems to be to jet off [Brazil and meet with the country's president]() about [business]() matters, while posting a [Twitter tirade]() about how you didn't [try to trade a horse]() for a sexually-charged massage from your flight attendant. As a quick refresher, the allegations are that the world's richest man abused the power dynamic aboard a SpaceX jet to show his erect genitals to a flight attendant in 2016, as [*Insider* reported]() last night, resulting in SpaceX paying $250,000 to keep the story quiet. "If I were inclined to engage in sexual harassment, this is unlikely to be the first time in my entire 30-year career that it comes to light," Musk told *Insider* of the allegations, calling their story a "politically motivated hit piece." As the [*New York Times* pointed out]() this morning, that alleged nondisclosure agreement represents a particular flashpoint in the saga, since Musk has slathered his quest to buy the social media giant Twitter in rhetoric about free speech absolutism. Many [had already pointed out the irony]() of that type of language for Musk, who has a history of shutting down others' right to speech when it was inconvenient to him. But the alleged sexual misconduct and subsequent hush money points a particularly bright spotlight on that mismatch. It's also worth pointing out that Musk has a troubled history of relationships with women. His first spouse [publicly accused him]() of treating her as a "trophy wife." In 2016, [*Vice* pointed out]() that he didn't follow a single woman on Twitter. After it emerged that [his ex was dating a trangender women](), he fired off several tweets [mocking transgender people](). Last year, he also [deleted several sexist tweets]() that caused a widespread outcry for making women feel unwelcome in science and tech. "Perhaps it’s because it’s by one of the most powerful men in the world," [wrote one critic]() of those tweets. "Perhaps it’s due to how rife sexual harassment is in academia. Perhaps it’s because if I’m bothered by it, it’ll be met with 'it’s just a joke.'" If that type of behavior has bled over into Musk's professional life to the degree that he propositioned an employee for sex, it's even more alarming — and deserves a serious response. Instead, so far, he's instead kept that appointment with Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, before [whisking himself away this mornin]()g to talk about [monitoring the Amazon](). Oh, and he spent the entire period that he was aware the story was coming out [announcing his sudden support for the Republican party](). If Musk's behavior has seemed particularly bizarre lately, it's worth noting that his deal to buy Twitter [seems to be falling apart]() at the same time that he's [lost more than $100 billion]() amid a steep market downtown. Where he goes next is anyone's guess — though if Brazil is any indication, maybe we'll see some more globetrotting. **More on things that aren't Elon Musk's fault:** [*Tesla Autopilot May Have Been Involved in Fatal Crash That Killed Three*]()