In an internal letter to bosses, a number of SpaceX employees called flamboyant billionaire and CEO Elon Musk a “distraction and embarrassment.”
Musk, who is also the CEO of Tesla Inc, has made headlines and been the subject of late-night comedy monologues in recent months for a tumultuous bid to buy Twitter, a reported allegation of sexual harassment that Musk has denied, as well as crude online comments and a foray into political discourse.
“Elon’s public behaviour is a frequent cause of distraction and humiliation for us, particularly in recent weeks,” the letter said, without mentioning any specific dispute. A copy of the letter was sent to Reuters.
“Elon is perceived as the face of SpaceX as our CEO and most visible spokesperson – every tweet Elon makes is a de facto public statement by the company,” the letter continued. A request for comment from SpaceX was not immediately returned.
According to a source familiar with the situation, the open letter was produced by SpaceX employees in recent weeks and posted as an attachment in an internal “Morale Boosters” group chat, which includes thousands of personnel.
It was unclear who wrote the letter or how many personnel contributed to its creation.
But I have a challenge to this liar who claims their friend saw me “exposed” – describe just one thing, anything at all (scars, tattoos, …) that isn’t known by the public. She won’t be able to do so, because it never happened.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 20, 2022
