SpaceX chief executive officer Elon Musk pursued women working at the company for sex, including a former intern, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing affidavits signed by one of the women and other interviews.
Former SpaceX executives told the Journal that company policies aren’t enforced with Musk, and that contributes to a culture of sexism and harassment. President Gwynne Shotwell disagreed with that assessment, telling the newspaper that SpaceX fully investigates all complaints of harassment and takes appropriate actions in response.
Musk and SpaceX didn’t reply to requests for comment from Bloomberg. Allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation at SpaceX have been raised in previous legal filings, including California civil rights complaints earlier this year.
In 2013, one of the women who reported directly to Musk left the company and alleged that the CEO had asked her to have his babies, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the allegations. Their relationship deteriorated after she declined his offer, the Journal said.
In another case in 2014, a woman who had a sexual relationship with Musk while she directly reported to him faced recriminations when the relationship ended badly, the Journal reported. She left the company and signed an agreement prohibiting her from discussing her work for Musk, the newspaper said. – Bloomberg
