A group of SpaceX employees described the chief executive as a “distraction and embarrassment” in a letter to executives.
“Elon’s behaviour in the public sphere is a frequent source of distraction and embarrassment for us, particularly in recent weeks. As our CEO and most prominent spokesperson, Elon is seen as the face of SpaceX – every tweet Elon sends is a de facto public statement by the company,” the letter reads.
In a list of three demands, the letter states: “SpaceX must swiftly and explicitly separate itself from Elon’s personal brand, hold all leadership equally accountable to making SpaceX a great place for everyone to work, and define and uniformly respond to all forms of unacceptable behaviour.”
It remains unclear who authored the letter or how many employees were involved in its drafting, but The Verge reported that the letter was written by SpaceX employees in recent weeks and shared as an attachment in an internal “Morale Boosters” group chat which contains thousands of employees.
“He often doesn’t realize how something he says could affect others. The letter is a collective ‘Hey! We’re getting some heat for things that are unrelated to us,’” said a SpaceX employee.