So, no free speech at SpaceX... Except Elon can say what he wants.
Didn’t we already have this debate? Free speech always has limits. You can’t yell fire in a crowded theater, etc. Companies are not democracies. They have a mission, and bringing up DEI issues is usually a distraction to that mission. Also, the thing that activists don’t get is that not everyone in the company agrees with them, so such company wide letters are not appreciated by many.
Anyways, Shotwell’s reply:
You may have received an unsolicited request from a small group of SpaceX employees for
your signature on an open letter yesterday and your participation in a related survey. Based
on diverse employee feedback, this has upset many. That is, 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.
Employees also complained that it interfered with their ability to focus on and do their work.
We have 3 launches within 37 hours for critical satellites this weekend, we have to support
the astronauts we delivered to the ISS and get cargo Dragon back to the filght-ready, and
after receiving environmental approval early this week, we are on the cusp of the first orbital
launch attempt of Starship. We have too much critical work to accomplish and no need for
this kind of overreaching activism- our current leadership team is more dedicated to
ensuring we have a great and ever-improving work environment than any I have seen in my
35-years career.
We solicit and expect our employees to report all concerns to their leadership, senior
management, HR, or Legal. But blanketing thousands of people across the company with
repeated unsolicited emails and asking them to sign letters and fill out unsponsored surveys
during the work day is unacceptable, goes against our documented handbook policy, and
does not show the strong judgement needed to work in this very challenging space
transportation sector. We performed an investigation and have terminated a number of
employees involved.
I am sorry for this distraction. Please stay focused on the SpaceX mission, and use your time
at work to do your best work. This is how we will get to Mars.