Elon Musk and the allegations of harassment at SpaceX
The Wall Street Journal reports several affairs involving the American tycoon, including with young employees
2' min read
2' min read
Elon Musk's private life is making tabloid headlines, especially as it intertwines with his role within SpaceX. The entrepreneur allegedly had an affair with a former company intern 20 years his junior, whom he later hired onto his executive team, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. Not only that. He allegedly had an affair with a second employee and a third woman claimed that Musk asked her several times to have his children. A request to which she responded with a refusal and he later denied her a raise and complained about her performance.
The affair
.One of the women involved in the affair also allegedly drew the ire of SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell, who accused her of having an affair with her husband The affair was also reported to the human resources department and the American newspaper reports that 'Shotwell told SpaceX's human resources department that she wanted the woman removed from the CEO's office'.
The journalistic work that led to the article is said to be well documented. In reporting the rumours, the WSJ cites messages, e-mails and other documents, and for the reconstruction refers to interviews with more than 48 people, including friends and family members of the women, as well as former employees of the company.
Musk did not respond to the newspaper's requests for comment, while Shotwell said the WSJ "paints a completely misleading narrative" of the internal handling of the matter at SpaceX and that the WSJ story does not reflect the company's culture. He also said that SpaceX investigates all complaints of harassment and responds appropriately to each report.
Previous ones
.In 2021, five former SpaceX employees stated that there was a 'culture of sexual harassment' in the company. Then, in 2022, another affair along the same lines: a flight attendant who worked on Musk's private jet reported that the tycoon offered "to buy her a horse in exchange for an erotic massage", according to Business Insider. Finally, earlier this year, a former SpaceX employee filed a lawsuit for sexual abuse and discrimination.
