“He asked her several times to give him a child.” Elon Musk has been accused of sexual harassment

Over the past decades, Elon Musk has fathered no fewer than eleven children: Nevada, in 2002, since his death, twins Griffin and Vivian, in 2004, triplets Kai, Saxon, and Damian, in 2006, X Æ A-12, in 2020. Exa Dark Sideræl, in 2021, born to a surrogate mother and twins born in 2021 from a relationship with partner Shivon Zillis. Which would not have prevented the billionaire from asking another employee to have children for him. after all, the businessman is famous for declaring that people with high IQs should have more children to combat the declining birthrate. But during the investigation that was revealed Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, June 11, the person concerned assures that he was asked several times to carry the children.

After the latter’s refusal, the situation quickly escalated, and tension arose between the boss and his employee. Elon Musk refused him a raise before leaving the company with a million dollars (926,000 euros) in his pocket. He would not be the only one who would become an object of progress by the industrialist. In an article by Joe Palazzolo and Khadija Safdar, who interviewed nearly forty former and current employees, several women who worked directly with the SpaceX founder accuse him of: sexual harassment.

Hotel in Sicily

One of them met Elon Musk in the 2010s. He was a student at the time and had just landed an internship at SpaceX. At that time, he would present some ideas to the businessman to make improvements in the company. The two would meet again in a romantic encounter. They will empathize by talking about their passion Star Wars, they allegedly kissed each other and then had sexual relations (which is denied today by the lawyers of the main interested party). A year later, he allegedly invited her to stay at his hotel in Sicily, where he was attending a conference.

The former student would soon end the relationship with the billionaire, who is 20 years older than him. Both, however, remained friends. In 2017, Elon Musk contacted her again to offer her a full-time job at SpaceX, which the young woman accepted. The businessman would also try to resume intimacy with her at the dawn of her arrival. “Elon tried to get back together before I took over and I turned down his advances,” she said. Wall Street Journal. He showed some clumsiness at first, but it wasn’t abnormal because he got a rejection from me.

After arriving in California, Elon Musk would invite him for a drink. Then he allegedly touched her breast while declaring: “Oh, I’m so naughty! I shouldn’t do that.” The businessman would also send him several night invitations via sms. Suggestions that he would sometimes honor without a second thought. She would especially support him during his divorce from actress Tallulah Riley and his difficulties at Tesla. But he assures that in 2017-2019 he never had a “romantic relationship” with the businessman.

“ElonGate»

In 2019, the young woman resigned, citing to friends the “embarrassing” nature of her interactions with the business manager. “Nothing that Elon Musk did to me during my time at SpaceX was predatory or unfair in any way,” the former employee explained. Wall Street Journal. In an article dated May 2022. Business Insider: In turn, he reported that Elon Musk would have asked for sexual favors from a flight attendant working at SpaceX instead of a steed.

He allegedly showed her “his mounted penis” in 2016 and promised to offer her a horse if she gave in to his advances. After the young woman’s rejection, the company would greatly reduce its missions. The main interested party would leave with a check for $250,000 (€231,000). Claims that Elon Musk, in turn, mocked on social media, insisting that this scandal should be called “ElonGate“, and that he did not employ flight attendants on his private flights.

“Feeling of Impunity”

Another woman assures Wall Street JournalMaintaining a one-month relationship with the billionaire while he worked directly for him. A romance that would “end badly”. He then left the company, signing a nondisclosure agreement that prevents him from disclosing information about his past employment. Former employees also claim that SpaceX’s top executives will not force Elon Musk to follow his own company’s rules, fostering a “culture of sexism and harassment.” The latter even mentioned a “feeling of impunity” on the part of the business manager.

Allegations denied by SpaceX Chairman and CEO Gwynn Shotwell. “The false truths, distortions and revisionist narrative in your email is a completely misleading story,” he said. I continue to be amazed at what this extraordinary group of people do every day despite all the forces working against us. Besides, Elon is one of the best people I know.” He also noted that every complaint lodged with the company was investigated and resulted in appropriate action.

The only downside is that Gwynn Shotwell has also been accused of participating in this culture of harassment. Thus, the former employee said that she wanted to fire him in 2014. The president was convinced at the time that she had an affair with her husband. A period during which the former employee, who also worked with Elon Musk, will become closer to the latter. A few months later, however, the company’s managers offered her a job in another department where she would take on a less visible role. A condition he had to keep in order to stay with the company. The employee eventually resigned.

Disagreement letters

Toward the end of his time at SpaceX, Elon Musk would invite him over for drinks at his home in Bel Air. The two allegedly had sexual relations and then saw each other again under the same circumstances in December of the same year. Convinced that their relationship was taking a serious turn, the employee quickly became disillusioned. Elon Musk would ask him to clean his mailbox, fearing it would be hacked. He also allegedly turned down a dinner invitation, claiming he couldn’t be seen at his company due to his divorce proceedings with Tallulah Riley.

The employee eventually left SpaceX, receiving $85,000 (€78,000) in compensation and signing a contract in which she promised not to sue Elon Musk. The latter later assured that “he threw himself at her when she was vulnerable, when he was in the process of separating from his wife at the time.” The billionaire would also claim that they became close “only after his resignation”. On January 10, 2015, two days before her departure, the employee nevertheless received a message from Elon Musk: