In An Open Letter, SpaceX Employees Call Elon Musk A Nuisance And Shame For The Company

Elon Musk, his actions are considered embarrassing by some SpaceX employees. (photo: instagram @elonmusk1)

JAKARTA - A group of SpaceX employees scorned the company's flamboyant billionaire and Chief Executive Officer, Elon Musk, as "annoyance and shame". The insults emerged in an internal letter to executives.

Musk, who is also CEO of electric car maker Tesla Inc, has been making headlines and late-night comedy monologues in recent months. He became a tumultuous news topic when he bought the social media giant Twitter. Then there was still an allegation of sexual harassment that was reported but which Musk himself denied. Even had time to raise rude comments online and plan to enter the world of politics.

"Elon's behavior in public spaces has often been a source of annoyance and embarrassment to us, especially in recent weeks," the letter reads. But the letter did not mention any particular controversy. Reuters itself was given a copy of the letter.

"As our most prominent CEO and spokesperson, Elon is seen as the face of SpaceX - every tweet Elon sends is a de facto public statement by the company," the letter added. In response to the report, SpaceX did not immediately comment.

The open letter, previously reported by The Verge, was drafted by SpaceX employees in recent weeks and shared as an attachment in a group chat. These became internal "Morale Boosters", containing thousands of employees, according to someone familiar with the matter.

It is not clear who wrote the letter or how many employees were involved in compiling it.

In a list of three demands, the letter said "SpaceX must quickly and explicitly disassociate itself from Elon's private brand."

They added: "Maintaining all leadership is equally responsible for making SpaceX a great place to work for everyone" and "determining and uniformly responding to all forms of unacceptable behavior."

On Twitter, Musk has denied and ridiculed reported allegations that he sexually harassed a flight attendant on a private jet in 2016. Some of his tweets show recklessness that has grossly humiliated and horrified some SpaceX employees.

"He often doesn't realize how something he says can affect other people," one SpaceX employee said of Musk. "The letter was a collective 'Hey! We're getting hot for things that have nothing to do with us.'"

According to one SpaceX employee, many employees are currently frustrated with Musk's controversy. But they are trying to "remain as focused as ever and excited for the future."

Musk, who is also the company's chief engineer, has been seen as a central figure in many of SpaceX's massive successes. For example, currently pioneering the reuse of orbital rocket boosters and restoring routine human spaceflight from US soil after a nine-year gap.

Most of the company's day-to-day business operations are led by SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell. After dusting the workplace, he vowed to uphold SpaceX's "zero tolerance" standards against employee harassment.

In a leadership talk at Stanford University in May, Shotwell, asked how he is managing the crisis, said "employees are screaming to hear from me" about sexual harassment allegations being reported about Musk and that he raised their concerns in company-wide emails.

"I need to talk to my employees," said Shotwell. "They are the reason SpaceX exists, and I care deeply about them."