Eight former SpaceX engineers filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk on Wednesday, accusing the CEO of sexual harassment and retaliation. The same group of fired employees has also filed complaints with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) about SpaceX’s alleged retaliation. Bloomberg first reported the lawsuit.
“Musk knowingly created an unwelcome, hostile work environment based on his conduct by posting vile sexual photos, memes and workplace comments that demeaned women and/or the LGBTQ+ community,” the eight former employees wrote in the statement Wednesday file.
The former SpaceX engineers said some of them were harassed by other colleagues who “mimicked Musk’s messages,” in an alleged example of mob bullying influenced by their superior’s behavior. Prosecutors wrote that this “created a tremendously uncomfortable hostile work environment.”
The group collaborated on an open letter in 2022, highlighting the Tesla founder’s alleged problematic behavior. They say they were fired in retaliation for that essay.
According to BloombergAccording to the filing, the former SpaceX engineers have reason to believe that Musk made the decision to fire them in retaliation for their letter. The complaint alleges that when a SpaceX HR official suggested the company conduct a formal investigation before taking decisive action, Musk responded: “I don’t care – fire them.”
The engineers’ case with the NLRB has been postponed by an appeals court order, despite the board agreeing that SpaceX illegally retaliated against them. SpaceX sued the agency in January, calling its structure “unconstitutional.”
The lawsuit follows a report Tuesday detailing allegations that Musk had sexual relations with two female employees and asked a third to have his babies.
