SpaceX ex-workers accuse the firm of sexual harassment, discrimination

San Francisco: Former SpaceX employees have expanded their legal complaint against Elon Musk's rocket business, accusing it of discrimination and sexual harassment.

According to recent allegations submitted to a California civil rights body, SpaceX created a hostile work atmosphere in which jokes about sexual harassment were widespread, women were paid less than men, and employees who complained were fired.

The plaintiffs' lawyers confirmed the facts first reported by Bloomberg on Tuesday.

In these accusations, which AFP reviewed, the engineers broadly describe a sexist corporate culture in which sexual comments and other forms of harassment are allowed or made light of, AFP reported.

They also discovered that Musk's frequently inappropriate internet humour was being imitated internally, setting the tone for the workplace.

In January, the California Civil Rights Department alerted the aerospace industry of the seven complaints lodged by former employees several months earlier.

"The harassment was visual in nature in that CEO Elon Musk made public statements that were lewd and demeaning towards women, transgender individuals and gay people on his personal Twitter (now X) account," said Paige Holland-Thielen in her complaint.

She further claimed that she had to check the billionaire's Twitter account regularly because he frequently tweeted crucial information concerning SpaceX.

Holland-Thielen also mentioned a performance review that labelled her as "too emotional" and advised her to "be more humble" when she complained to a superior about a male coworker taking credit for her work.

The charges come following a separate lawsuit in which a US labour agency claimed that the employees were unlawfully sacked after complaining in a public letter about their treatment at work.

Last month, SpaceX went to court to try to derail the US National Labour Relations Board allegations and postpone a hearing on the matter scheduled for March 5.

Musk's company asserted that the regulatory board's structure is unconstitutional and that the hearing procedure violates the corporation's right to trial by jury.

Tesla, Elon Musk's other flagship company, has faced similar allegations of racism and sexual harassment at its California location.