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justinph | 3 years ago

Wasn't it an internal letter that was leaked? I mean sure, being leaked is a predictable consequence, but it may be a distinction with a difference if the criticizers didn't themselves leak it.

Regardless, will be interesting to see how this plays out. If I were one of those employees, I'd be talking to a lawyer. If I was one of the employees still working at SpaceX, I'd be talking about a union. We recently unionized at my employer, it is great to know we have each other's back.

discuss

order

Justin_K|3 years ago

Getting fired for insubordination isn't a protected class. The former employees don't have a case.

babypuncher|3 years ago

Insubordination? What order did they violate when voicing criticism of the CEO?

I do think Musk was within his legal rights to fire these people, but that does not mean it was the right thing to do or that he should be immune from criticism. Especially after he's made such a big fuss about free speech being so important.

daenz|3 years ago

>insubordination isn't a protected class

If some of the comments in this thread is any indicator, people seem to believe it should be a protected class, which is extremely disturbing.

micromacrofoot|3 years ago

Saying a bad thing about your employer isn't insubordination.

That said, most places in the US are at-will employment, so you can fire your employees for no reason.

thal3s|3 years ago

We're not slaves anymore. You as a human being are allowed to express your thoughts and opinions. Would we know how awful it was at Activision/Blizzard if those employees had not said something? Elon and C-Suite execs own and control everything, no need to bootlick.

celticninja|3 years ago

Caveat: IN THE USA

some countries have decent labour laws that won't crucify you for disagreeing with your employer

buck4roo|3 years ago

> insubordination isn't a protected class

Any bets on whether (CEO == assclown) is a protected class?

aeternum|3 years ago

It's better to have each employee write a separate e-mail to HR or his/her manager. Letters like this are generally designed to be seen by a public audience.

cratermoon|3 years ago

That will just subject each employee to individual and separate retaliation. Collective action is the backbone of worker power. HR isn't there to help employees, that division exists to protect the company's interests.

vxNsr|3 years ago

The original verge article I saw on this implied that the author (of the article) was in direct contact with at least a few of the letter’s authors.

waffleiron|3 years ago

The Verge article I found says:

> It’s not known which SpaceX employees wrote the letter; the employees who posted the letter in the internal chat system have not responded to requests for comment.

It says it was in contact with people who saw the letter, but nowhere implies it's the authors.

> The letter generated more than a hundred comments in the Teams channel, with many employees agreeing to the spirit of the missive, according to screenshots of the chat shared by two sources who spoke with The Verge and asked to remain anonymous.