SpaceX fires some employees behind letter denouncing Elon Musk's behavior: reports

SpaceX has fired some of the employees involved in drafting and distributing within the company a letter criticizing the behavior of founder and CEO Elon Musk, according to media reports.

The letter was posted on an internal SpaceX Microsoft Teams channel that reaches more than 2,600 employees, The Verge reported yesterday (June 16). It decries Musk's behavior on Twitter and in other public forums as "a frequent source of distraction and embarrassment for us, particularly in recent weeks."

The letter drew a lot of attention, including, apparently, inside SpaceX's executive offices: By yesterday afternoon, the company had already fired some of the people responsible for writing and sending it, The New York Times reported today (June 17).

Elon Musk: Revolutionary private space entrepreneur

The Times cited conversations with three SpaceX employees who wished to remain anonymous and an email to staff from company president and chief operating officer Gwynne Shotwell that the newspaper obtained. In that email, Shotwell wrote that SpaceX had "terminated a number of employees involved" with the letter, according to The Times.

"The letter, solicitations and general process made employees feel uncomfortable, intimidated and bullied, and/or angry because the letter pressured them to sign onto something that did not reflect their views," Shotwell added, according to The Times. "We have too much critical work to accomplish and no need for this kind of overreaching activism."

The Times said it was unclear how many employees had been fired for their involvement with the letter. Reuters reported today that at least five people have been axed, citing "two people familiar with the matter." SpaceX has not yet responded to requests for comment about the letter and the reported firings, both outlets said.

Musk is very active on Twitter, which he is currently in the process of buying for $44 billion. The world's richest man, he posts frequently on the site, sometimes using it to make crude jokes, express controversial opinions about public health and insult people with whom he is feuding.

Mike Wall is the author of "Out There" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or on Facebook.