Elon Musk is facing criticism following a Wall Street Journal article describing his reportedly inappropriate interactions with female employees at Tesla and SpaceX. Musk is charged with creating an adverse work atmosphere for women that included drug usage, intimate relationships, and personal interactions.
According to the report, Musk had sex with a SpaceX employee and a former intern and asked another employee to have his children. The Wall Street Journal, citing several sources, claims these actions contributed to a culture at SpaceX and Tesla where women felt uncomfortable and unsafe. Earlier, a SpaceX flight attendant accused Musk of exposing himself to her in 2016 and offering to buy her a horse in exchange for sexual favors.
The report also highlights Musk's drug use, including LSD, cocaine, ecstasy, mushrooms, and ketamine. These activities reportedly raised concerns among executives and board members at SpaceX and Tesla. Additionally, female employees at Tesla claimed Musk pursued them or showed them an unusual amount of attention.
One former SpaceX employee, who resigned in 2013, said Musk repeatedly asked her to have his babies. Another woman described a month-long sexual relationship with Musk in 2014 while she directly reported to him, which ended badly, forcing her to leave the company and sign a non-disclosure agreement.
Text messages from Musk to another SpaceX employee revealed persistent invitations to come to his house. The messages included, “Look, it’s either me or 6 a.m. [exercise]” and “Just finished the Model 3 production call. It’s definitely going to be hell for several more months.” The woman eventually texted Musk back, apologizing for not responding sooner.
SpaceX's president and COO, Gwynne Shotwell, dismissed the allegations, stating, “The untruths, mischaracterizations, and revisionist history in your email paint a completely misleading narrative. I continue to be amazed by what this extraordinary group of people are achieving every day, even amidst all the forces acting against us. And Elon is one of the best humans I know.”
In 2022, Business Insider reported that Musk secretly fathered twins with Shivon Zilis, a top executive at one of his companies. Musk defended himself by claiming he was addressing the underpopulation crisis and that people with high IQs should procreate.
In a complaint against Musk and SpaceX, eight former employees claim they were the victim of sexual harassment and retaliation. They claim Musk personally ordered their firing after they wrote an open letter accusing SpaceX of allowing sexual harassment. The suit describes a hostile work environment where women were treated as sexual objects and faced lewd comments and jokes.
In another instance, Musk allegedly initiated a sexual relationship with a woman who worked for him after she helped plan a surprise birthday party for Shotwell. Musk reportedly continued to pursue this woman even after she moved off his executive team and eventually left SpaceX.
Musk has not answered inquiries for comment from the Wall Street Journal. However, the accusations led to an inquiry of his business practices and company culture.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/ Susmita Bhandary/MSM)