--- title: "SpaceX Employees Slam Elon Musk’s Bizarre Behavior in Open Letter" description: "An open letter circulating on SpaceX's internal chat system, obtained by The Verge, denounces CEO Elon Musk's behavior in the public sphere." date: "2022-06-16" modified: "2022-06-16" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-employees-elon-musk-open-letter" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" --- # SpaceX Employees Slam Elon Musk’s Bizarre Behavior in Open Letter ![]() *\Image: PHILIP PACHECO/AFP via Getty Images\* ## Public Embarrassment An open letter circulating on SpaceX's internal chat system and [obtained by ]()*[The Verge]()* denounces CEO Elon Musk's behavior in the public sphere. In a particularly hard-hitting quip, the employs accuse Musk of failing to fulfil the team's "No Asshole" and zero-tolerance sexual harassment policies. It's unclear how many employees have signed the letter, which is addressed to SpaceX COO Gwynne Shotwell, but it clearly appears to have struck a nerve, with employees leaving over 100 comments and plenty of employees agreeing with the sentiment, according to *The Verge*. "Elon’s behavior in the public sphere is a frequent source of distraction and embarrassment for us, particularly in recent weeks," the letter reads, as quoted by *The Verge*. "As our CEO and most prominent spokesperson, Elon is seen as the face of SpaceX — every Tweet that Elon sends is a de facto public statement by the company." And that's a problem, they say. "It is critical to make clear to our teams and to our potential talent pool that his messaging does not reflect our work, our mission, or our values," the letter reads. ## Consistent Enforcement The employees' demands are pretty straightforward. They want SpaceX to "hold all leadership equally accountable" for questionable behavior and "clearly define what exactly is intended by SpaceX’s 'no-asshole’ and 'zero tolerance' policies and enforce them consistently." The news comes after SpaceX was accused last month of [paying a flight attendant $250,000]() after refusing Musk's sexual advances. Shotwell later defended Musk, arguing that "I believe the allegations to be false" in a [company-wide email](). Then there's [another letter](), penned by former SpaceX engineer Ashley Kosak in December, in which she claims that she "couldn't stop getting sexually harrassed" at the company. Musk has also made several statements on his Twitter account [identifying himself as a Republican](), a political alignment unlikely to be supported unanimously among SpaceX employees. The billionaire CEO has clearly drawn the ire of a number of SpaceX employees. After all, they're simply trying to do their jobs without having a media circus erupt every time their boss goes on Twitter to defend himself after being accused of sexual harassment or [post stolen memes](). **READ MORE:** [SpaceX employees draft open letter to company executives denouncing Elon Musk’s behavior]() \[*The Verge*\] **More on SpaceX:** *[Elon Musk's New Photo Shows Staggering Size of SpaceX's Starship]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()