Rocket maker
SpaceX
and its CEO Elon Musk were sued Wednesday by eight
engineers
who say they were illegally
fired
for raising concerns about alleged sexual harassment and discrimination against women. The engineers - four women and four men - claim Musk ordered their firing in 2022 after they circulated a letter calling the billionaire a "distraction and embarrassment" and urging executives to disavow sexually charged comments he had made on social media.
The lawsuit says Musk's conduct fostered a "pervasively sexist culture" at SpaceX where female engineers were routinely subjected to harassment and sexist comments and their concerns were ignored. SpaceX has denied wrongdoing, saying the 2022 letter was disruptive and the workers were properly fired for violating company policies.