SpaceX fires at least five employees who criticize "freedom of speech absolutist" Ilona Maska

This year in attendance Ilona Maska in the technical field is particularly noticeable, in particular due to a $ 44 billion deal to buy Twitter. It seems that things are going a little wrong now, and critics are divided over whether Musk is trying to reduce the purchase amount, or whether he wants to abandon the purchase altogether. 

One likely reason why the deal is with Twitter was such news is the character of Mask himself: the most famous billionaire in the world after White Geist, and a person with connections in many large companies. The two most prominent are Tesla and SpaceX, and the fact that he deals with the purchase Twitter does not help him in managing companies. 

This became the subject of an open letter from employees SpaceX, which was distributed on social networks. In the letter public behavior Mask, and in particular his tweets were called "a pure source of distraction and embarrassment", and that every tweet he sent Musk is a "de facto public statement of the company". The letter also asks the company's management to "publicly address and condemn harmful behavior Ilona in Twitter". 

The letter was released on Wednesday, June 14. Now The New York Times reports that several employees who were involved in writing the letter were fired by the evening of the same day. The message quotes an email from Gwynn Shotwell, President and Chief Operating Officer SpaceX, which was sent to employees SpaceX: 

"You may have received an unsolicited request from a small group of employees SpaceX, regarding your signature under the "open letter" yesterday and your participation in the related poll. Based on various feedback from employees, this upset many. That is, the letter, the request, and the overall process made the employees feel uncomfortable, intimidated, bullied, and / or angry because the letter forced them to sign something that did not reflect their true views. " 

Shotwell then lists the various projects he is currently working on SpaceX, and some of the company's immediate priorities. "We have a lot of critical work, and there is no need for this kind of excessive activity," - she writes. The letter goes on to say that SpaceX has adequate channels for resolving any problems in the workplace, and that general e-mails to colleagues on such issues are unacceptable. 

"We have investigated and fired a number of staff involved. Sorry for this distraction. Please focus on the mission SpaceX and use your time at work to do your best. That's how we get to Mars. " 

It is unclear how many employees were fired as a result of the investigation, though Reuters reports that at least five employees left their jobs. 

There is a lot of context in this letter. It happened a few months later Musk behaved childishly in Twitter: for example, he quarreled with a satirical website about video games Hard Drivewhich ridiculed him on social networks before publishing an article with a perfect title "Elon Musk offers to buy the ships he stepped on. " 

During this period, the billionaire also faced serious accusations. In May, as reported Business Insider, based on the 2018 agreement, it is alleged that Musk offered the flight attendant to give him a sexual massage during a flight to London in 2016. The duty officer claimed that for this Elon promised to buy her a horse. 

In addition to public issues, his approach to remote work is a matter of concern. In early June, he told staff SpaceXthat they have to be in the office 40 hours a week, otherwise they will be fired, which could also be a factor in the letter. 

Few will deny that companies have the right to lay off their employees who go abroad. However, we can agree that the dismissal of employees who complain about you is very strange, as for the "absolutist of freedom of speech."